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CHAPTER ONE-

Mondays weren’t her favorite days, so she had chosen to relocate to Lagos on Tuesday. Ime had just received a transfer letter from her bank; the Olive Groves Bank management had decided to make some changes in their administration. While many of her colleagues’ appointments had been terminated, she had been transferred to the headquarters because of her diligence and hard work. The thirty two year old lady was familiar with her new environment; this wasn’t her first time in Lagos. She properly guided the taxify driver to the new apartment that had been rented for her by her best friend, Ella, who was also based in Lagos.
Two hours had passed after leaving the airport, yet she was still stuck on the road. The brown skinned beauty leaned her head against the window of the backseat and pulled out her phone. But not before running her eyes around the street. There was a serious hold-up, and this was one of the reasons she despised the city of Excellence, as compared to her the quiet city of Uyo. She pulled in a deep breath to calm her nerves, while working her phone with her fingers. Ime decided to check her email and watsapp messages before thinking of the next step to take. The first notification she received was from an unknown number, her heart skipped as she read the words: You have not seen the last of me. You think you have won.
“Driver?” She quickly tossed her phone into her purse. She couldn’t read the text further. Suddenly, her lungs tightened and she found it difficult to breathe. Ime was having a panic attack, but the poor driver had no idea of what it was.
“Madam, you dey okay?” He swirled round and faced her but she could not longer hear him. Her face was drained of blood, her eyes reddened and she was gasping for breath. Fear gripped her heart as images of her violent ex-husband rushed through her mind. One of the reasons she had taken the transfer without complain was to avoid bumping into Victor as Uyo was a very small town.
She remembered the first day she had met him. He had been one of the richest customers. He started by giving her tips, which she rejected at first; but when he made his intentions clear, she collected them. Their relationship progressed. Victor had been everything to her. He had been the perfect husband that all women could dream off. It wasn’t just about his attractiveness, because the ebony skinned man could turn heads whenever he walked into the room. Victor was a complete gentleman. He could do his cooking and cleaning. He always prepared hot meals for her after late returns from work. He helped with her laundry, and gave her delicate massages whenever she was stressed. He had been unapologetically generous too. The truth was that it was difficult not to like a man like Victor. So she had fallen for him, and the façade he had presented. She soon learned of his nature, as his beastly nature came to life within a few months of their marriage.
She had been dropped off by a male colleague who was married. Victor had seen her coming down from the man’s car. Ime had gladly rushed towards the door, hoping to meet another hot meal in waiting and perhaps a massage. Being married to the best man in the world had given her confidence, it had also changed her beliefs about men in general. So it had been very confusing when Victor raised his voice at her, something he had never done.
“Who was that guy?”
“Um, my colleague. Any problem?” She threw her bag carelessly on the couch, while wondering what had gotten her husband so upset.
“What did you make for dinner baby? Aren’t you going to welcome me?” She flashed a sweet smile.
“Are you fucking him?” Victor blurted out. At once, the smile faded from her face. Ime had thought her ears misled her. But when he repeated his question, she called him to order. It wasn’t long before a sharp slap landed on her face. That slap had set the course for numerous violent encounters with her husband. At first, she had tried to please him. She discovered that Victor was extremely jealous. He had cloned her social media accounts and her phone. He knew whom she called and texted at all times. And whenever she returned home, he would smell her clothes, in search of a foreign scent as he shopped for her perfumes himself. She had tried to submit to his weird desires, but the beating sonly increased. She wore heavy make-ups to hide her bruises, but he took it too far when he locked her in their bedroom for three days. After she escaped that, she filed for divorce. Some of her friends and family members, especially her mother had felt she was crazy for filing for divorce. Ime came from a very humble background, so Victor had been the perfect son-in-law who would lift her family out of poverty.
“What will people say about us?” Her mother had asked.
“Don’t you think you should pray for him? Why can’t you stop provoking him?” She continued.
Her mother was a very materialistic woman, and Ime remembered her countless affairs with different men after her father had been sacked from the cocoa factory he had been working with. Though he was still alive, her parents were no longer together.
“Why don’t you leave her alone? It is her life and she deserves to make the best choices!” Her father had cut in angrily.
Whether her parents had accepted or not, Ime had made up her mind to leave her toxic marriage. She had evidence against her husband, so it had been very easy for the judge to annul the union. She had been naïve to think that Victor would let her be; but he only continued stalking her. Slowly, the fear of her ex husband transitioned into a full blown problem, one that she was still suffering now. He had not harmed her in any way, but the memories of his violent behavior triggered the greatest manifestation of fear within her.
“Madam! Abeg no die o! No do this kind tin!” The Uber driver pushed the door to his side open and rushed to the back.
At this point, Ime was gasping for breath. Her mind kept travelling to the darkest part of her memory, the place where her ex husband was buried. Tears rolled down her cheeks as awareness kicked into her. She knew what was happening to her, but she couldn’t help it. Her brain was glued to a particular narrative, and she didn’t know how to help herself. She only found strength when the driver opened her side of the door, and a flood of warm air rushed into the car. It was at that point that the panic attack faded, and she regained consciousness.
Tears splashed on her cheeks as she sobbed. She had broken her sim cards severally, yet he always found a way to contact her.
“Stay away from me!” She broke into sobs. Her murmuring further scared the driver. The middle aged man considered her a lunatic. He wished there was a way to drop her at her destination as he didn’t want trouble on his hands. Luck was on his side that particular day, the hold-up eased. He sighed with relief and rushed back to his seat.
“Madam close the door abeg!” He fired the engine and drove off.
Ime threw her head back and wiped her face. Again, she had made a complete fool of herself before a stranger. She knew the man would think she was crazy or something. The only person she had shared her fears and concern with was Ella, and Ella had encouraged her to see a psychiatrist. Ime was adamant, because she didn’t want therapy to be on her medical record. She didn’t want to be stigmatized. She folded her arms across her belly and closed her eyes through the journey. Her eyes only cracked open when she no longer felt the soothing movement of the car, which was followed by a rather rude command.
“Madam get down!”

CHAPTER TWO-

***

Although Nigeria was a democratic state, there was still a chasm for traditional monarchy, a system which was still revered and honored by many. This made the King of Lagos, Oba Afolayan Tope Ige one of the most powerful men in Nigeria; as an educated monarch, he had the loyalty of his subjects and the respect of many Nigerians. The Oba was equally a very wealthy man, he had been knee deep in the crude oil business, even before he had been asked to take the throne of his fathers. The prestigious Ige family, ruled and reigned in the Yoruba lands, and some of their decisions indirectly affected the whole country. The Oba was blessed with five children, he was naturally monogamous and he wouldn’t take other wives as insisted by his chiefs in council. He had two sons and three daughters, but the one that stood out and took after his business kinetics was his third child and second son, Prince Ife Adrian Ige. He was not just loved by the King, but by all his subjects.
“Why is Ife not here?” The queen searched the faces of those on the table. It was a family tradition to have breakfast together, one that she had initiated herself, and she wouldn’t allow royalty to destroy the bond that she had with her family. Though all her children were married, except for Ife, they still lived in the expansive estate that was a renovation of the old palace, built by their father. It pleased her to be around her children and grandchildren.
“Do we have to wait for him?” Princess Lola rolled her eyes. Lola was the second child and first daughter, and she wasn’t friends with Ife; they always had disagreements. The plump light skinned beauty adjusted the diamond ring on her finger as she felt her husband’s foot under the table. The man had always tried to intervene in the sibling quarrel, but Lola would never listen to him.
“You don’t have to be rude about it.” Princess Kari chipped in. Kari was the fourth one. She was the hot headed one, and she usually disagreed with her mother. Kari had refused to live in the palace with her family to avoid her mother, but her husband had rented a luxurious duplex close to the King’s palace; this was the only way she could have breakfast with her family every day.
Prince Olulade, the first prince and the heir to the throne fiddled with his phone, unconcerned about the queen’s preoccupation with his younger brother, whom he envied greatly by the way. Though Olulade was assured of the throne by virtue of his position as first born, he was not comfortable with Ife’s achievements.
“Can I start eating while we wait for senior bro?” Teni winked. As the last child of the King, and the youngest princess, she always received special favors from her parents and older siblings. Her favorite siblings were Ife and Kari. While Lola and Olulade stood against the rest.
The King was in a meeting with some government officials, and Ife knew about this. This was the reason he had delayed a bit before heading down the stairs for breakfast. As he descended the stairs of the pristine mansion, he could feel the adulating eyes of the female servants on him. Yes, he was not just everyone’s favorite for a reason. Ife was blessed with brains and beauty. He had decided to dress simply today, he was never a fan of the royal flamboyance. He wore a simple jean and black polo that highlighted his caramel complexion. His chestnut eyes glowed with amusement as he neared the table, he could hear his siblings arguing about him. And from the look on his mother’s face, she wasn’t too happy that he had delayed their breakfast.
“Good morning everyone!” Ife threw his hands into the air. Nobody answered.
“Can we eat now?” Olulade finally spoke.
“Some people really need to learn simple manners!” Lola grabbed a fork and pulled the plate of plantain porridge close to her.
While the adults shared a table, the grandchildren had a special parlor built for them. They ate under the supervision of other royal family members.
Ife knew the siblings that were loyal to him. He knew that his brother resented him, but he didn’t care. Olulade was an arrogant and self centered prince; he had been pampered silly by the queen. He had gotten into lots of trouble while they were younger, but Ife had a clean record. The King had naturally grown fonder of the child who never gave him trouble. What broke the relationship between the princes was when Ife had caught Olulade trying to rape one of the maids in the palace; Ife had intervened and saved the girl. Olulade had seen this as a great insult on his person. He had refused to speak to his brother from that day. This had happened two years back.
“Good morning!” The spouses of his siblings answered his greeting.
He flashed a smile, “Thank you.” Just then, his eyes clashed with that of his sister-in-law, Bose. Quickly, he looked away and focused on his plate.
“So what took you so long?” The Queen asked.
“I was speaking to my Spanish business partners.” Ife explained that he had not stayed away from the family tradition deliberately. When she heard this, her frown lessened and her eyes glowed with pride for her son. Though she had exalted Olulade above all, time had proven that the more of the promising princes was Ife. He reminded her of the King when he was younger. They shared a powerful resemblance and the same business intelligence.
“What would you like to eat?” The Queen decided to pamper him a bit.
“I am getting jealous.” Princess Teni rolled her eyes.
“It seems mummy has a new baby.” Princess Kari chuckled.
“Or perhaps she hopes Ife would take her with him to Spain.” Princess Lola cut in rudely.
Ife ignored his annoying sister. He focused on the other two, Teni and Kari, the ones that always got his back.
“I can’t wait for you to bring a wife home. That would be my proudest moment.” The Queen ignored the teasing from her daughters. They had a point, she was growing fonder of Ife because his exploits were promoting the royal family.
Ife chuckled when he heard this, “I am not ready for marriage now. I still have plans to extend the business.” He ran his fingers through his short dreads which he had just started blooming six months back. He rested his back against the chair and fixed his gaze on the queen. He could smell something mischievous coming from the woman.
“You always use work as an excuse. You will be thirty seven this year.” His mother replied.
“Three years to forty,” Princess Kari winked.
Ife laughed at their jokes. He wasn’t simply interested in finding a wife. He was okay with having sex and moving on, he didn’t want to commit.
“I will find you a wife whether you like it or not.” The Queen was determined.
“Now that would be very fun,” Ife chuckled, hoping that she was joking.
He finally settled on his food choice; he wanted chicken pepper soup with some yam chops. He intended to wash things down with a hot cup of green tea, before returning to work. Ife thought of the house he had rented a year ago. He hadn’t told anyone except Teni and Kari about it. The house was far away from the palace, and it was his hideout from all the demanding lifestyle of being a royal. Whenever he visited the house, he felt like a normal person. Many of the neighbors had no idea of who he was, and that was perfect. Being a prince was tiring, and he couldn’t stay at the palace at all times.
The rest of the breakfast was quiet as everyone concentrated on the deliciousness of the meals they had chosen. When Ife was finished, he rose to his feet and kissed his mother. He waved at his sisters and decided to retire to his bedroom. He would see them later in the day, but he needed to finalize his business deal with the Spanish team.
“Won’t you say hello to your father?” The Queen called out.
Ife paused, it was not in his plan to see the King, but he couldn’t disobey the woman.
“I will do that right away, but if he is busy, I will leave word with the guards.”
When Olulade heard this, he felt pissed. The Queen had made it seem like it was a taboo for them to speak to the king while he was in a meeting, why was she making exceptions for Ife?
“You shouldn’t go there!” Olulade barked.
“Why is that?” Ife calmly cast a glance towards his brother. He carefully avoided his wife’s penetrating brown eyes.
“It is not right to see the King when he has visitors.” Olulade supplied.
“Okay,” Ife nodded. He ignored his brother’s words and proceeded towards the throne room. He marched majestically towards the empty hallway that stopped at a brown metallic door which opened into the throne room. As he strolled, he couldn’t help but take in the beauty of the palace. The pristine walls had different paintings of deities on them. Though his father was a Christian, he couldn’t help but depict the history and origin of the Yoruba tribe in art. When he was younger, he felt the paintings and the numerous sculptures scattered at each corner of the palace were alive; he felt their eyes on him each time, but he never told anyone of his experience.
The palace had a conical shaped roof, which further beautified the positioning of the elongated chandeliers and expensive silvery bulbs that hung on metallic suspenders. Servants and guards stood at each point, bowing and murmuring greetings. One of the reasons he hated the palace was responding to more than a hundred greetings daily; Ife was simply not cut out for this life.
He was almost close to the throne room when he heard someone call his name.
“Ife!”
His heart missed beat when he heard Bose’s voice. At first, he had wanted to ignore her as usual, but he decided to be patient. Bose was a princess from one of the lesser kingdoms, under the Ige monarchy. He had fallen in love with the hazel eyed beauty when they were just teenagers. Everyone had assumed they would end together when they entered the university, but Bose played a fast one on him. She had only been using him to get closer to his elder brother who was the heir; she had dreamed of being a queen, the only way to achieve that was to catch Olulade’s eyes. He had been completely heartbroken when he had found out from Kari about their affair. Ife had been tempted to confront her, but he had changed his mind. Though his parents had questioned his position about Bose’s relationship with the older prince, Ife had made it clear that he no longer loved her, and she could marry his brother. But deep within, he was hurting. Though he had made peace with the fact that she was his brother’s wife, he found it difficult to stare at those eyes that had brought him so many promises.
“Yes?” His back was to her.
“Um, good morning,” she stuttered. Bose lived in guilt and unhappiness. Olulade was a far cry from the perfect Ife, and she regretted being married to him every day of her life, but there was nothing she could do to change it.
“Mayowa has been asking of you. Her fifth birthday is coming up…and I thought you could spend some time with her as her uncle.” Bose said.
“I am sorry for Olulade’s behavior.”
Ife released a sigh. He could tell that Bose was desperately trying to be close to him, but he had made up his mind about her.
“I am very busy. I won’t be back to the palace until tomorrow.” He didn’t wait for her to utter another word before resuming his walk to meet with the king. Bose’s eyes brimmed with tears of emotional torment and pain. She had made the greatest mistake in marriage, and that was the mistake of choosing Olulade over Ife.
***

Hours had rolled by since she packed into her new apartment. Ime had a good eye, so her taste always came high, but in this instance, she didn’t have the strength to take in the décor of her two bedroom flat. She was distressed about the text that she had gotten from her ex husband. What terrified her more was the panic attack in the taxi; she had hoped to begin afresh in this new city, but it seemed running away from Uyo wouldn’t put an end to her problems.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at the dusty floor. Her eyes roamed to the window which lacked curtains and some paint drops that had fallen to the ground; she had a lot of cleaning to do as this was a new room. But she didn’t have the motivation to rise. She was crippled by her fears. What if Victor was already here? What if he knew where she was living?
“No…” she breathed and grabbed her head with her hands.
She couldn’t continue like this. She was wild with fear, she could lose her mind. So she needed to talk to someone, and the only person who truly understood her situation without judging her was Ella. Back when she had been married to Victor, especially when the abuse had begun, it was only Ella that encouraged her to walk away while others told hr to pray and work things out. Ime blessed God daily for gifting a friend like Ella. If she had not taken Ella’s advice, maybe she would’ve been a dead woman by now.
She raised her weight towards the chanel purse that lay at her feet. Quickly, she unzipped it and took out a slender android. Her hands trembled as she stared at the dark screen. She couldn’t risk reading another text from her ex. She tossed the phone and the floor and wiped her face. Ime’s thoughts clashed. Her heart was burdened by her recent experience; she knew deep down that crying wouldn’t solve a problem. The only way to ease her burden was to share it with someone. Tired of playing coward, she grabbed the phone and swore to fight for her life should Victor show up.
“I can’t continue like this,” her voice was confident and strong. Luckily, she had no text from him, so she went straight to her contact list and dialed Ella’s number. On the second ring, she took the call. Ime was reluctant to proceed with what she had wanted to share earlier, because of the nosy background. Ella worked in the same branch of Olive Groves with her; she knew how dangerous distracting a banker was.
She was about to drop the call when Ella picked.
“Hey babe.”
Ime paused, not knowing if she should go ahead and talk about her feelings.
“Ella…” She drawled.
Ella and Ime had been friends for many years, so this familiarity made it easy for Ella to recognize the pain in her friend’s voice, she could immediately tell that something was wrong.
“What is it?” She didn’t waste any time.
It was at that point that fresh pools of tears gathered in Ime’s eyes and she couldn’t help but break down on the phone.
“Have you arrived?” Ella ignored her sobbing.
“Yes,” Ime nodded.
“I am coming to get you now, just hold on.” Ella sighed.
“But what about your job?” Ime asked.
“I’ll take permission but I’m seeing you in a few minutes.” The Olive Groves Bank they worked for was not too far from Ime’s house, so Ella had chosen the apartment well, though she lived further from the Bank. Like she had known, speaking to her friend made her feel better. Ime suddenly felt lighter, her excitement about having another shot of a new life crept back in albeit slowly but it was something to start with. Feeling strength in her bones, she slowly rose to her feet and moved towards the window. She pulled in a deep breath and stared into the street.
The Lodge where she lived was a quiet and expensive one. It was named after a Nigerian celebrity who was rumored to own the building. It had four floors, but she stayed on the second, the second room. Ime suddenly realized that she had not seen any neighbor or anyone when she had marched into the building. She had only followed information and diagrams on the walls of the main entrance to know where she belonged. Now that she had a better view of her new environment, she felt better. The street was filled with cars, and hawkers. There were many malls around too. But nothing really interested her. Ime decided to take a walk outside, hoping she could see the caretaker or anyone.
She wiped her face with a clean face towel and pulled in a deep breath. Knowing how busy bank jobs could be, she knew it could take Ella to arrive. The important thing was that Ella was coming over, and it didn’t matter how long it would take. Slowly, she turned the key and pulled the door open. From the strong scent of curry ad bay leaves, she knew she had spice loving neighbors, someone was cooking something delicious. The thought of finding new and interesting friends set a smile on her face. Ime stepped out of the house gingerly, like she was afraid something would bite her.
After locking her door, she moved towards the stairs that would lead her to the main entrance. But her eyes were on the marble floor, so she failed to notice the tall stranger that ascended towards her floor. And the tall stranger had been fiddling with his phone, in hopes to seal a business contract, so he had failed to see the woman approaching. The clash occurred like lightning, in a few seconds. It was only then they realized what had happened.
“Ouch!” Ime held her face and quickly moved away from the handsome stranger.
Ife had not seen this coming. His forehead had clashed with a side of her face, and he could tell that she was in great pain as her face reddened.
“I…I am sorry.” He turned his attention to the beautiful woman, whom he had never seen before. The more he tried to place her face, the more confused that he got. He guessed she was someone’s guest.
“I am sorry too.” Ime flashed an uneasy smile. She didn’t find the strength to take her eyes off the attractive male. His golden brown eyes had a kindness about them, his flat nose was created to fit his angular face. Her eyes travelled first to the bushy brows that crowned his forehead, before moving to the pinkish lips that seemed soft. Something moved in her for the first time in many months that she had left her husband. Here she was, ogling a complete stranger. Ime realized that she had not admired any man since discovering that her husband was an undercover beast from hell. Slowly, she began to see most men in the same light. Even this one before her, had a beast in him.
Ife could feel her lusty eyes wandering over him. He was used to this kind of treatment from ladies. If they weren’t asking him out, they would try to gain his attention. He had no problem with that, but many of those women did that to seduce him into their beds and find their way to the royal family. As he had shared with the Queen earlier, he was not getting married anytime soon, and nothing could change that. He wasn’t offended by Ime’s adoration of him, it was a good thing to be admired such a beautiful woman. She had a cute face with delicate features, her lush lips were the most valued. He loved the way she had tweaked her hair into curls, it seemed natural and he was a sucker for natural hair. That was one of the reasons that he had started his dreads.
“Um…my name is Ime.” She reached out with her hands for a shake.
“That’s nice to know.” He collected her hand, not knowing how to respond. He had no friends here, only the caretakers knew his true identity and when they had confronted him, he had paid them to be quiet. Nobody could ever know that he was Prince Ife Ige. It wasn’t that he wanted to hide from Ime, but he couldn’t think of a name. So he flashed a smile and stared blindly into her lovely eyes.
Just then, the duo heard the clicks of a woman’s heels ascending towards the corridor where they stood. The prince gently released her hand and stepped back as he noticed another woman. Ime was a bit bothered that he had not shared his name, it made her wonder if she was being intrusive.
“I just moved in here…” she ignored her inner critic.
“Really?” For some reason, he felt excited. He had assumed she had come visiting. How nice it was to have a cute neighbor.
“Welcome then! I should make you a cake or a pie. Which do you like?” Ife asked with a gleeful smile.
“I am not a fan of cakes or pies.” Ime chuckled; the rich sound filled his ears and added a fluttering feeling to his chest. It had been a long time a woman had this powerful effect on him. He was smiling like a school boy speaking to his crust the first time.
Ime was willing to prolong the conversation, but it was rude to leave her friend standing on the stairs.
“I have to go now. But you still haven’t said your name.”
“Adrian. Call me Adrian.” He replied. Ife wasn’t lying as that was his second name, thought not popular.
“Thanks, I hope to see you around.” Ime waved as he turned towards the wing that would lead to his room.
“I hope so too.” He waved back.
Ella had been on the stairs, staring at the two in wonder. First, she had never seen that handsome guy in the lodge before. Secondly, his face was oddly familiar. She could swear that she had seen him before, but she couldn’t place where or when. She decided to keep the latter detail to herself. What excited her about this whole thing was the smiles she caught on her best friend’s face.
“Hey, are you done staring at your lover?” Ella teased.
Ime’s cheeks pinked in embarrassment. She hadn’t realized her friend had noticed it.
“Oh spare me! That guy is hot!” Ime laughed.
“I agree. He was checking you out too…” Ella continued to move upwards until she was at the same level with her friend.
They paused and stared at each other for what seemed like minutes. Ime couldn’t put her gratitude in words. Ella had done so much for her. She had gone out of her way to put things in place for her.
“Thank you!” Ime rushed forward and hugged her friend.
“You would do the same for me.” Ella kissed her hair and returned the hug.
When the hug session ended, they moved into the house. Ime couldn’t stop talking about Adrian, and how cute his golden eyes were. His hair was another element that fascinated her. She was drawn to him at first sight, and she couldn’t pretend about it.
“How about asking him out since you like him so much?” Ella took off her heels and placed her bag gently on a chair. There was a lot of cleaning to do, and she intended to help her friend settle in.
“Wouldn’t that be too fast? I don’t even know him. What if he has a girlfriend? What if he doesn’t like me like that? And…” She paused as she remembered her ex husband. Ime had fallen deeply for Victor, she had trusted him with her life, and he had almost ruined it. Her silence was well understood by Ella. Ella sighed and moved towards her friend, while ignoring the coldness of the tiles that ate under her feet. She had come for this sole reason; to comfort her friend, and she hoped that Ime would be willing to listen to her.
“You cannot continue like this. You now fear men because of Victor. Can’t you see that you are trying to make your life about him? Can’t you see that he is hindering you? You have to break free and trust another.” She advised.
Ime accepted this, “But what do I do when Victor wouldn’t stay away from my life? He is bent on making me a miserable woman, and I don’t know how else to help myself.”
Ella raised a brow, “I don’t understand.” Ime carefully explained that while in taxi, she had received a threat from her ex husband; that alone was strong enough to trigger lots of memories. That had plunged her into another deep of sadness. When Ella absorbed everything she had heard, she now understood why her friend had been sobbing over the phone.
“Fighting the wounds of domestic violence isn’t easy. It is not a one-woman’s job. You need to speak to a therapist Ime, or you’ll keep moving in circles.” Ella moved closer to her and placed a hand on Ime’s shoulder. Ime scoffed, she had heard this suggestion of therapy more than a hundred times. Frankly, she didn’t want to do it. Therapy wasn’t popular in this part of the world.
“And how do you think people would see me if they ever find out that I once visited a shrink at one time in my life?” Ime rolled her eyes. It was a perfect idea alright, but she wasn’t buying it.
“Why would you want to depend on people a second time to make something out of your life? Your family and other friends had advised you to stay and pray for Victor, what if you had listened to them? Why hadn’t you listened to them? If you had the courage to walk out of a young marriage, then seeing a therapist is nothing compared to being a divorcee!”
Ella’s words sank in deeply. Her words were like precious stones sinking into a deep puddle. She couldn’t deny the truth in her friend’s words. Ime loved her and cared about her. She wanted positive outcomes for her.
“You have a week of rest before you resume work with us. If you do not prioritize your mental health, you may not function with the stress that comes with banking. You need to make a decision. What if you had no friend to call? You would’ve slipped into depression, and that is how suicide problems begin.” Ella was bent on making her friend see the importance of getting professional help.
Ime’s tears glided smoothly, following a concise path on her plump cheeks. A minute ago, she had been excited about the new guy she had met, now she was sobbing like a child. She knew deep down that she now had trust issues about men, she was stuck in pain, and it seemed difficult to take care of.
“You need to give me your word Ime. You need to fight for your mental health.” Ella’s fingers roamed her back, drawing invisible circles, all in an attempt to focus.
Ime sniffed and wiped her face, “I don’t know any doctor here.” She was willing to give it a shot.
Ella’s round face split into two as she welcomed a smile. The melanin fringe goddess tossed her hair back as she held tighter to her friend’s back. She couldn’t believe that Ella had finally taken her advice.
“I have a doctor friend, so he could connect us with a good therapist.” Ella was optimistic things would work out fine.
“Are my doing the right thing?” Ime whispered.
“Yes you are.” Ella was sure of it.
“What about Victor? What do we do with him?” Ime wished there was a way to keep that man out of her life permanently.
To this, Ella had nothing immediate to say. But she was determined to lay down her life just to keep her best friend safe. She was that protective of Ime. Many people didn’t understand why their friendship ran so deep, but Ella knew best. Ime’s parents had been rich once before their business crumbled, and their lives were forever changed. Ella had grown up with an evil stepfather and a mother who cared less of her existence. It was Ime that had come to her rescue severally especially when it came to financial matters. It was her turn to care for Ime.
“Ignore his messages or change your line if you can.”
“I can’t change my sim, the bank have it.”
“Then ignore him, while we lie in wait. If he tries anything funny, we will find evidence and report him to the police.” Ella assured her friend of what she had din store of her ex. All Victor needed was to step forward, instead of hiding behind text messages.
“Thank you.” Ime’s fears and worries were finally gone. Her head was clear. She could now unpack, and fix herself something to eat, while thinking of Adrian.

Goodnight guys.
Posting time tomorrow 9:am and 6PM. Love you my readers.

CHAPTER THREE

***

Hours had passed since his encounter with his new neighbor but he found it difficult to take his eyes off her. The Prince couldn’t stop thinking about the pretty woman; though her countenance had seemed bright at first, but a closer look at her eyes revealed that there was a hidden sadness within them. He closed his laptop and rose to his feet, unable to focus on the files he had been working on. Prince Ife was one of the youngest billionaires in Africa, and his name had been features in the Forbes List of Hundred most influential people. He had also been featured in the list of the richest people in the world, this was the reason he tried his best to conceal his identity. He had picked up his father’s flair for entrepreneurship, so everything was working out for him; this partly explained why his brother seemed very jealous of him.
Ife was the sole creator of the popular ‘Biller,’ application that had been introduced into many Nigerian homes five years ago. Although he had started small, the app was gaining popularity and many Nigerians who were conversant with the new ways of doing things, preferred to use the app to pay their electricity bills, water bills, house rent, cable subscription and many other bills that needed to be paid. The app was increasing in use, and for each download and usage, the Prince got richer by the minute. His vision about making people’s lives easier had come to pass, he had also thought of the plight of unemployed Nigerian youths. Though many of his employees had not met him personally, he knew that his idea had created revenue for one thousand five hundred young people in Nigeria alone. Currently, the app had broken through the other parts of West Africa, especially Ghana and Togo. South Africa led in Southern Africa, while Tunisia led in North Africa. It was about time for the app to break open internationally, from the look of things, it was going to begin in Spain, as some investors had reached out to him from Madrid.
Ife rustled his hair, he felt frustrated that he couldn’t do anything. This lodge was like his fortress, his hideout from all the bustle of royalty; a life that he was not very interested in. If he was a writer, he would’ve attributed what was happening to him as a result of writer’s block. But he wasn’t. He was a business man, and any delay in coming up with a new idea could cost him something grave. While he paced the room without aim, his phone rang. He resisted the urge to ignore it. When he checked it out, his personal assistant was calling.
“Hey,” he whispered.
“Good evening sir,” the young lady greeted.
“Evening Hawa, how are you doing?” He drummed his hands against his work desk.
“I am fine sir. I called to remind you of the meeting you have with Mr. Seyi Groves. It is for tomorrow morning at the office.” Hawa knew that the prince was a very busy man, sometimes he forgot about his numerous meetings.
Ife sighed, there was no rest for him. There was no escaping the empire that he had built.
“Um, is that all?” He asked, knowing that he hardly had just a meeting for a week.
“No,” she answered. He could tell that she was smiling mischievously. Ife had worked with Hawa for three years now. His former personal assistant had been diagnosed with a kidney infection, though he had made some donations, the young man never recovered, he died. Peter had been very professional and organized. He had been industrious too, always searching out for opportunities. When the boy had died, Ife thought that his life would never be the same. But his youngest sister, Princess Teni, who was also working under him, had introduced him to her friend Hawa. He wasn’t sexist, but he felt more comfortable working with men to avoid stories, and this was a Muslim woman. He had been doubtful of her capabilities. But in months to come, Hawa had proven to him that women were not as weak as men thought them to be. She was very efficient even with small things like his coffee. As the years rolled by, they had developed a comfortable friendship, though there was still a boundary.
“You have a meeting with Mr. Victor Aniebiet, the C.E.O of Uyai Yoghurts.” Hawa added.
“Oh…the man from Akwa Ibom…” He drifted off. There were simply too many things in his head. Mr. Victor had contacted him through Princess Teni who ran the social media platforms of Biller, they had carried out a background check on the man; his authenticity had been revealed. Mr. Victor ruled the Yoghurt business in Uyo and other surrounding states. His brand was fast growing, and he was ready to do anything to control the yoghurt business nationally. He intended to come up with a business plan, which he hoped the prince was willing to work with.
“I’ll be at the office tomorrow. I just needed a day off today.” Ife replied.
“Have a nice evening sir.”
“You too.” He nodded and broke the connection.
He gritted and winced, wishing that he could pay someone to run things with him, but he couldn’t risk that. He had worked too hard to let his empire crumble. He had dreams of sweeping poverty out of Africa, and he would achieve it steadily. He chuckled as he remembered his mother’s desire for grandchildren from his end.
“Not happening anytime soon,” he laughed. He was far too busy building the foundation of the life that he wanted for his wife and children.
Prince Ife realized that his creativity was stifled for that moment. He needed to take a break or take some rest. He thought of Ime, he couldn’t explain why he was so fascinated by her. It wasn’t like he hadn’t met more beautiful women; he guessed he was just being boyish. Ife decided to take a stroll to the lodge’s canteen where he hoped to find some grilled meat and relax, before returning to work. As he strolled out of the room, he also considered Bose’s request of hanging out with Mayowa, his niece. He didn’t like the idea of being around a woman that had betrayed him for the throne, but Mayowa was such a sweet girl. A wave of guilt washed over him as he realized that he hadn’t spent much time with his nieces and nephew, and they were growing up fast. Soon, they wouldn’t have any memory of him.
He paused as he reached Ime’s room. The beatings of his heart switched to a different rhythm as he stared at the door. A part of him was glad that she was the new neighbor and nothing less. He would’ve felt bad if she had been visiting just another guy in the lodge. He thought of knocking on the door, and inviting her to have some grilled meat with him. But that would be too daring, too intrusive. He shrugged and descended the stair case.
***
With Ella’s help, she was able to clean the house and arrange her clothes. Ime felt happy that her friend had showed up to help her. She didn’t have a gas cylinder yet, so the only option they had was to eat out or order some food.
“Are we ordering?” Ime grabbed her phone, ready to search for nearby restaurants around her.
“Nope,” Ella winked. She explained to Ime, that there was a multipurpose canteen downstairs, ran by the caretakers in charge of cleaning and organizing the activities that went on in the lodge.
“Do they sell meatpies?” Ime circled her belly, she craved for snacks.
“Yes, they sell light snacks to heavy meals. There is a woman that runs a soup business too. That is why it is called multipurpose.” Ella replied.
Ime felt better after sharing about her ex husband. Now that her fears were gone, her appetite had returned.
“Let’s go then.” Ime braced herself up. She felt a bit anxious about meeting new faces. She briefly thought about Adrian, the guy she was crushing on. She wished she could walk into him. That would be a sign.
“Why are you smiling?” Ella had been staring at Ime’s face the whole time.
“Is it a crime to smile?” Ime ignored her friend’s penetrating gaze.
“I hope you aren’t thinking of your new bobo.” Ella laughed, feeling pleased that her friend was ready to date again.
“Of course. I am just drawn to that guy. I want to see him again o.” Ime’s smile gave birth to a laugh.
Ella liked her friend’s decision, but she also didn’t want Ime to get hurt. Her instincts told her that she had seen Adrian before, but she couldn’t place the face. She decided to search his name out on social media; the only problem was that she didn’t know his surname. She later dropped the idea and changed into Ime’s cloths. Together, they moved outside the house towards the canteen.
The owner of the lodge was a very creative man, and he had designed a canteen as another way of taking money from his tenants. It wasn’t what Ime had expected. It wasn’t shabby, but well organized. It was as large as one of the rooms in the building, but with compartments which were labeled according to the business carried out within them. There was a small shop with varying goods. Ime could spot the soup seller. She could spot a room designated for small chops, grilled meat and shawarma. There was a section for dry cleaning and hair business.
“Whoa, this landlord is very smart.” Ime chuckled.
“He must be an Igbo man.” Ella replied.
Ime scoffed, “So Igbo men are the smartest in Nigeria abi?”
“Well, given that majority of businesses are run by them, I think we can let them have that title.” She was deliberately teasing her Ibibio friend.
Ime ignored her friend and decided that she was going to have small chops and something cold to drink.
“I’ll have soups instead. Just walk over there and place the order. Let me talk to the soup woman.” Ella suggested.
Before Ime left, she couldn’t help but say her observation.
“It seems you know everyone in this place.”
“Why not? I had to be friends with them to be shown around.” Ella winked.
Ime knew that without making much effort that Ella was the social butterfly within them. She made friends easily, but it wasn’t same with Ime. Though she could come out of her shell once in a while, she wasn’t interested in a big circle. She flashed a smile to the guy behind the counter, and asked for a menu.
“Madam the madam!” The soup woman recognized Ella; she also delivered soups to the bankers at Olive Groves during their lunch hours.
“Madam Ikwo, how you dey now?” Ella wished Ime was there, so she could introduce her to someone from her place.
“I dey o. Market dey move well well. I intend to open account for ya bank soon.” The woman smiled.
“That one go better o. Any time wey you ready, just tell me wen next you come bank.” Ella advised. After the pleasantries, she ordered for two plates of pepper stew mixed with Egusi soup, and some wraps of cassava fufu. She knew that Ime would join her, and she wasn’t willing to share. The strong scent of dry fish and onions made the meal look more appealing.
The soup vendor was about to serve her customer when she caught sight of the man that had helped her once. She had tried her best to locate the man, but the caretakers made her understand that he visited the lodge once in a while.
“You see that man over there? Na him save my life one time.” The woman called Ella’s attention to the Prince. Ife had changed his mind about snacks, he had decided to take a bottle of soda drink with Pringles instead. As he marched out of the canteen, he was unaware of being watched by two women.
“How him take save your life?” Ella was perplexed by the assertion.
The soup vendor narrated how her only child had fallen ill many weeks back. Since she was widowed, and her soup business had suffered some hiccups from not being consistent which was caused by the boy’s sickness. The man had walked into her shop that day, unlike the other customers that came and left, he noticed her countenance. At first, she had been reluctant to share her problem. But when she finally did, he ordered for a plate of Eforiro soup, and had overpaid her for it. When she had tried to call him back, the man had explained that he was paying her for the future soups he would order. The truth was that the Prince wasn’t a soup person. He had only done that to help the woman.
Ella didn’t take her eyes off Ife the whole time.
“I go find way see that man very early tomorrow. Him dey behave like spirit, you see am today, you no see am another day. I must to thank him o. God go bless am.” The woman continued.
“You sabi him name?” Ella couldn’t wait to dig up.
The soup vendor shook her head, “I bin beg the caretakers dem, make dem tell me him name but dem no gree. I no sabi anytin about that man.” She explained innocently.
While she scooped the soup, Ella pulled out her phone from the pocket of the jean skirt she wore. She quickly typed ‘Adrian’ into her Google search engine. There were many suggestions, but only one caught her eye. It was an article about the secret life of Prince Ife Adrian Ige. When she clicked on it, her heart almost leapt out of her mouth.
“He is a prince,” her lips shivered. She couldn’t wait to tell Ime about her latest discovery, but she needed to read more about him to be sure he was a good guy.
“Who be Prince?” The woman had heard her proclamation.
“Nobody o, sorry.” Ella took the plates, paid the woman and fled out of the shop.

***

CHAPTER FIVE
Dinner at the palace was same for everyone except for Prince Olulade’s wife. Although it was obvious that Ife wasn’t around, she felt his absence strongly. The truth of the matter was that her heart still throbbed for Ife; she had been an ambitious young woman, but as the years passed, she realized and admitted that there were more important things than ambition. Granted, the throne belonged to her husband and he was destined to be a great ruler like his father, but Olulade was a difficult man. He saw women as objects only useful for sexual gratification. He openly cheated on her with several other women, and he showed no remorse for it. Olulade had no idea of what love was. Whenever he yelled at her, or hit her face, she always ran back to the past to shield herself from the present hurt. Memories of Ife kissing her, pampering her and whispering words of genuine love to her would flood her mind. That man was passionate in everything, and that made his success very loud. Ife had always dreamt of helping people, and making some money while at it; his eyes would be filled with flames of hope and faith in his dreams while sharing them with her. She had believed in his dreams, but she had wanted something more remarkable, more prestigious. It was her greed that had led her to abandon a man who truly loved her for a weakling. Ife was passionate about his work, he put in all his time and energy. When he made love to her, he did it passionately, and that arduous fire between them flowed naturally. There was no debating his love and devotion, he had proven it to her several times, now she was just an empty woman; a very unhappy one at that.
“Don’t you like the food?” Princess Teni had been observing Bose.
The royal family had been divided when Bose and Olulade were getting married. Princess Lola was in support of Olulade’s decision as she never liked Ife. But the other princesses, Kari and Teni avoided Bose for a while. However, they all buried their hatred for their sister-in-law when they saw that Ife had moved on. It wasn’t a secret that Olulade was a self centered prince, who had no time for his wife and kids.
“I am just worked up. Mayowa’s birthday is tomorrow.” Bose forced a smile.
This got the queen’s attention. Agnes Ige always doted on her grandchildren. She even loved them more than her children, and she was always ready to spoil them silly.
“I almost forgot about that.” The queen paused on the chicken she had been struggling with.
“Well you are reminded; Mayowa is expecting a special gift from everyone.” Bose was delighted that the other family members still cared about her.
“Have you informed the local TV station? This birthday has to be covered.” Agnes cast a glare at her son’s wife; she noticed that Olulade wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. He was more interested in pressing his phone, and she found this quite insulting. She had never understood why her son had become so cold and distant to everyone.
“No, we want it to be a quiet one.” Bose turned and stared at the prince, but he wasn’t interested in the conversation. Princess Kari and Teni quickly exchanged glares, they could tell that something was happening between the two, but they decided to stay out of it.
“Some people really need to mind their business.” Princess Lola rolled her eyes, she had caught her sisters staring at Olulade.
“And some people should learn to act like the first daughters they are.” Princes Kari fired.
Princess Lola was about to offer a rebuttal when her phone rang. At first, she had wanted to ignore the strange number, but she took it after considering a possibility; she was a psychologist and she had many patients who depended on her sessions. Though the princess had a terrible character, she was very professional, and her prowess at mental therapies travelled wide. She had high profile clients, this earned her a lot of respect. She ignored her sisters and stepped out of the dining hall.
“Hello, Dr. Lola Adeoye on the line.”
Ella had gotten the woman’s number from a trusted friend who knew doctors that treated mental illnesses. Dr. Lola, as she was fondly called had come highly recommended. Ella was prepared to help Ime get back on her feet. She had seven days to work on her mental health before resuming work at the Olive Groves bank at Lagos.
“Good evening Doctor, my name is Ella Ugonna. My friend has a little problem and I’d love for her to have a session with you. I wish we could come to an arrangement as soon as possible.”
When it came to mental illness, Lola didn’t joke with any patient. She had offered some courses on mental health and illness, which had exposed her to the complications that the victims suffered in the real world. This made her ready to help anyone that cared to knock on her door. Before answering, she quickly did a mental run through her schedule the next day. She only had two sessions, she could fix in Ella’s friend.
“I’ll be free in the evening. You should drop by the Balm hospital. The nurses would take care of everything.”
Ella felt relieved that she had booked a session for Ime. Now she had to convince her best friend to follow her to see the doctor.
“Thank you Doctor, we will be there.”
“You are welcome. Goodnight.”
When she later joined her family at the table, she heard the queen talking about the brother she disliked; the one whose success seemed to overshadow all of her achievements. She had always envied Ife since they were little, because she had sensed their parents’ special love for him.
“Why are you so bothered about getting him a wife?” Lola rolled her eyes.
“How is that your business?” Kari decided to continue from where they stopped.
“I bet you mum, Ife would not look at any woman you pick for him twice.” Teni advised the queen.
While they argued back and forth, Bose secretly wished that she hadn’t made the mistake of marrying Olulade. Now she would have to bear witness to another woman, loving the man she earnestly desired. The princesses continued throwing jabs at each other, until the King arrived at the dining hall. Silence followed his appearance. It was customary for everyone to rise and acknowledge the presence of the head of the family.
“What were you all arguing about?” The man who was Ife’s older version pulled back a chair and sat next to his wife. He had been so busy through the years, that he hardly had dinner with his family. Most times, he was busy entertaining his guests, while his queen bonded with their children as that had been the agreement before he chose to ascend the throne.
“Mother wants to arrange a wife for Ife.” Princess Teni spoke up.
“How is that a problem then?” The man chuckled. He had met his second son earlier, they had a brief discussion about the success of his business; the King had proudly showed off Ife to the investors that had come. They had been awed to meet one of the youngest billionaires in the world.
“That is archaic dad. Ife is a grown man and should choose his wife.” Kari added.
“That is if he would ever get married.” Kari scoffed and gulped down a glass of cherry wine.
Bose didn’t like that particular princess, but she had to pretend because Lola had been on her side when the others hated her. Lola shared a similar personality with her husband; they were both proud and conceited, and they never apologized to others. Lola’s husband had confided in her once. The man wasn’t of royal blood, but he was a successful medical doctor, but Lola still looked down on him. She had a domineering nature, and whenever he took decisions that didn’t favor her, she would threaten to file for divorce.
“That isn’t a nice thing to say.” Queen Agnes had to step in.
The King ignored all the bickering and went on to make an important announcement.
“I met with some government officials and investors today. They were sent by the Federal Government to purchase some lands from our area. These lands would be used to erect some branches of the True Bank of Nigeria. I haven’t taken my decision yet, but when I do, I will be hosting a party to celebrate the agreement between my kingdom and the Federal Government.”
When Olulade heard this, he dropped his phone and focused on his father. He had been pissed off earlier, that his brother had gone to see the king without his presence. Now that he heard of this deal with the Federal Government, he was interested in the ongoing conversation. As an intending King, he needed to make friends with those at the Federal level; they would give him financial backing and the power that he sought after.
“I think you should give them the land. Our land is heavily populated with business men from the East, the bank would have lots of clients.” The Prince suggested. The others agreed with him.
“That is a good idea. This shows that you are preparing yourself to be a king.” His father praised.
“Thank you,” he bowed.
“Though I am a King, I am still subject to my people. I will send messages across the villages and towns that make up this kingdom. I will discuss the matter with some chiefs. If the majority stands with me, then we move forward.” He replied.
When the king was finished, his wife gently reminded him of Mayowa’s birthday. This information sparked excitement in the old man.
“What time does the party begin?” He asked Olulade.
“Um…” he stuttered, because he had not been involved in the party planning, and he had not shown interest.
“5P.M. The party starts at 5.PM your majesty.” Bose answered. She had asked Ife to hang out with their daughter, but he had showed no interest. Now that he was away, she wondered if he would show up. She also wondered where he was. Her heart missed a beat at the thought of Ife being with another woman.
“Shoot!” Lola bit her lip as she remembered the appointment she had fixed for evening. It was too late to cancel now. She would try to meet with Ella’s friend, so as not to disappoint them. But she would ask her husband to prepare her kids for their cousin’s party.
“Very well then, I will cancel the less important meetings for my grandchild’s party.” The king announced.
“Thank you daddy,” Bose smiled. The only joy she derived from her marriage was that of caring husband’s family.
“By the way, where is Ife?” The King suddenly noticed that his other son wasn’t there. Nobody had an answer to this question; they assumed that he had slept over at his girlfriend’s place. No one knew about his apartment at the lodge. He had decided to keep it as his hideout.
***
“Who were you talking to?” Ime licked the taste of ginger off her lips. She chewed the snacks gently, savoring the delicious mix of seasoning and spices. Her mood had lifted by the presence of her best friend.
“Your therapist, she is a good one. We are meeting her tomorrow evening, prepare your mind.” Ella announced. She had prepared to meet resistance, but Ime agreed to go with her. Ime knew that delaying treatment would make things worse. At this point, she no longer cared about what people would say should they find out that she was getting help for her panic attacks and anxiety disorders. People needed to praise women like her, for having the courage to walk away from abusive situations. If she had stayed one more minute with the monster that she had married, she would have lost her life.
Ella couldn’t stop thinking about Ife. She was tempted to tell Ime about her new discovery, but she decided to share it after their therapy session. Right now, she wanted Ime to be more focused on being healthy, than on a handsome billionaire prince, as that would be a mighty distraction. From the article she read, Ella wasn’t really surprised. She had heard of Ife Ige before; he was a household name in the moneymaking industry. It was his middle name that had confused her, and that the fact that he looked way handsomer in real life than pictures. She played with the fantasy of Ime and the prince getting together; he seemed like a perfect guy. But Ime quickly took off the images. Victor had seemed like the perfect guy, but he had become a beast overnight.
“I will be leaving early tomorrow because of work. I hope you’ll be able to manage alone.” She turned to Ime.
“Yes, I will. I plan to shop for my gas cylinder and other essentials.” Ime replied.
“Great, I can hardly wait for tomorrow.” Ella battled with the urge to let out the secret, but she pressed it down. Ime had to concentrate until the first session with Dr. Lola was over.
“Me too.” While Ella struggled with the secret, Ime secretly prayed for a way to meet up with the prince again.

Morning came in a rush. The prince was immediately awoken by the buzzing of his phone. His alarm had gone off, signaling the start of a new day. Ife knew that it was time to abandon all the other personal files he had been working with. Biller was central, it was more important than personal business. Thousands of Nigerian youths depended on him for monthly salaries, so he couldn’t fail. With Teni at the head of the advertisement department, Biller was growing more popular each day, and it made him happy to know that people appreciated his creation. Ife couldn’t wait to meet up with the bankers from Olive Groves, and the investor from Uyo. Every day presented fresh opportunities, but he only worked with people that shared similar values with him.
He rushed to the fridge to take a class of water. When he was finished, he grabbed his phone and ran through the messages that Hawa had sent. She was reminding him of all the calls and messages that he needed to return, and the meetings he had for the day. He was about dropping the phone when she sent another message.
HAWA: What would you like to have for breakfast?
IFE: Um…I am not particularly feeling hungry today. You know how nervous I feel when meeting with new people.
HAWA: I know. But you should take something, for strength.
IFE: Coffee.
HAWA: How do you want it today? Black? Creamy?
IFE: Creamy will suffice. When Teni comes, tell her to arrange a meeting with everyone at the establishment. I would love to speak to them after I meet with the investors.
HAWA: Noted. Thank you sir.
IFE: Have a good morning.
Now that his itinerary for the day was specified, he needed to take a shower and rush out of the house. Ife suddenly remembered that he had no car to help himself around. He had deliberately avoided bringing his expensive cars to this part of town; no one had to know who he was. Ife knew that he had to hurry out of the house, before the traffic seriously built up to avoid being frustrated all day long. He dashed into the bathroom for a shower. In twenty minutes time, he was out, and standing before his mirror.
As he splashed lotion on his body, he did a mental breakdown of all his meetings for that day, yet again. He bit his lip as he recalled his conversation with Bose. He didn’t mean to hurt her by avoiding her, but hanging out with Mayowa wasn’t going to be possible. He felt guilty for not having enough ‘uncle-time,’ with his nieces and nephews. He hoped they would grow to understand that his sacrifices were for the betterment of humanity. Ife decided to check on Mayowa later after work, but he had to seal any business deal that would come up first. He moved to the wardrobe and fetched a light blue jean, which he intended to match with an orange top and a pair of ash sneakers. The prince loved simplicity. The only thing on his body that could make someone discern that he was royalty, was the reddish bead on his right arm, and the silver ring on his left thumb; those were symbolic, and his parents had warned him never to take them off. He carried his backpack and rushed out of the room when he noticed how fast the arms of the clock were moving.
He needed to call his favorite driver from the online taxi company. A smile danced on his face when he tapped on the Biller app on his phone; with the app he had created, life was made easy for everyone. After placing his order, Ife paused as he realized Ime’s room was just two rooms from where he stood. The urge to stop by and say hello came on strongly as he reached her door, but he paused and stared at it.
Unknown to him, Ella had left some minutes earlier, so Ime had decided to see her off. When she returned, she was delighted to see the handsome Adrian standing right in front of her door. Her heart was pounding as she looked at the man whose attractive features unsettled her each time they met. There was only one reason that Adrian would stop at her door; he liked her too. So what was the need of wasting time?
After hesitating for some minutes, Ife decided to be on his way. It was clear that he found Ime attractive, but he didn’t want to bother her. He would give the lady the space she needed. It was long since he had hooked up with a woman, he had been so immersed in work that he hardly had time for himself.
“Hello there!” Ime began to climb the stairs that would carry her to meet with Adrian.
“Hi,” Ife was surprised to see her. Now he felt like a complete fool, because Ime had been standing there all along staring at him, while wondering about his creepy attitude. He knew she had stayed there for long from the mischievous look in her eyes.
“Good morning.” She greeted when she finally stood at the same ground with him.
“Good morning, I was just about to check up on you. But now that it is clear that you are well, I will be on my way now.” He flashed a swift smile, and hurried towards the staircase, but Ime quickly held him back. Never had she been this forward with any man; she wasn’t thirsty for male company. Adrian simply fascinated her, and she couldn’t deny anything that she felt.
“Please don’t be in a hurry…” her voice was soft and pleading.
Ife saw her chestnut eyes clearly that morning. There was fire in them, tiny golden sparks that could set any sane man ablaze. It seemed Ime was attracted to him, but he couldn’t tell. He didn’t want to seem overconfident.
“Um…I really have to go, but we can meet later when I am back.” He guessed his driver was already waiting for him.
Ime felt a bit disappointed, “Sorry for grabbing you so roughly.”
“There’s no problem.” He waited for her to accept his offer; he really meant to spend time with his new neighbor.
“What do you think about hanging out together at the canteen later?” He repeated.
Ime loved the idea. She wanted to know about this guy, and she didn’t intend to pretend about it. Ella supported it; her best friend was sure that falling in love again would help her forget her ex husband quicker. Though it was difficult to control how she felt about Adrian, if he wasn’t really into her, she wouldn’t force anything.
“I am game.” She winked.
“Fine then, stay safe and have a nice day.” He offered her a distant wave, before descending towards the next floor. She didn’t flinch or take her eyes away from him, until he was completely gone. Like a school girl who’d just kissed a boy for the first time, Ime smiled and pressed her hands against her chest. Her only wish was for Adrian to feel the same way about her. Now that she had a date in mind, she needed to prepare for her therapy session with Dr. Lola. Now that she had time to think about it, Ime hoped that she had taken the right decision by accepting to hang out with her neighbor. What if she lost composure after the therapy? Her greatest fear was having a mental confusion from therapy sessions. She was only going because Ella had taken time to seek out the best doctor for her; she had to take her session seriously.
When she returned to her room, she decided to check on Ella. She had just six days to be at home; she needed to readjust to her new environment and get ready to resume on Monday. Ime planned to ask Ella to share some pictures of the Olive Groves branch in Lagos. She turned on her data connection, and clicked her Whatsapp. Ella had already dropped some messages for her, and she was fortunate to catch her best friend online.
ELLA: Hey girl, thanks for hosting me. Get prepared to meet with Dr. Lola by 5PM.
IME: Good morning. I should be thanking you. I am glad you reached safely.
ELLA: Yes I did. The bank isn’t far from your house. So what are your plans for today?
IME: Um, I plan to go shopping later. I just pray I don’t get lost o.
ELLA: Lol. If not for my job, I would’ve shown you around. But there are online shoppers in Lagos. They can shop for you. All you need do is give them your list with specific brands of items, transport fare and the money they will use to shop for you. You can pay them afterwards.
IME: Oh, I know about online shoppers. We have a handful of them at Uyo, but what if they run away with my money?
ELLA: There’s a group of shoppers on Biller. They are very professional, should such an incident occur, they will offer a refund. But their shoppers are highly recommended.
IME: What’s Biller?
ELLA: Are you kidding me?
IME: Seriously I don’t know.
ELLA: I have to go now, just Google it. See you later babe. *kiss kiss.
IME: OKAY.
When the conversation was over, she lay on her bed and closed her eyes. Ime couldn’t remember a time that she had felt so free and peaceful. Living with a man like Victor had robbed her of so many things. At a point, he had become so irrational and jealous that he had asked her to deactivate her social media accounts. She had not been disturbed about his request, because she had been spending too much time on twitter. She began to understand his personality when he tried to alienate her from some of her friends, Ella was one of them. This was the reason that Ime had no idea was Biller was. The only apps that she had on her phone were those that came with the system, and her banking apps. Lazily, she stretched a hand and fetched the phone. She decided to take Ella’s advice on checking Google out for Biller.
To her surprise, her single entry generated more than ten topics, most of which were linked to Google play. She was asked to download the app; this made her wonder if it was the latest social media app. She tapped on a Wikipedia page on the topic. What she gleaned from reading the material threw her into surprise and confusion. How come this kind of application was around and she never heard of it?
“Bleep him…” She kissed her teeth. She blamed Victor for almost cutting her away from the outside world. If she had not been a credible banker, he would’ve found a way to manipulate her bank to fire her; but Ime was one of the best bankers that Olive Groves had. And the management knew this, hence her transfer to the headquarters. She had no patience in reading the article, because she would’ve stumbled on the creator of the app rather than the usefulness which opened the first paragraph. Bored with reading, she decided to take a shower and find her way around town. She needed to buy things to help her adjust to her new house, she didn’t trust online shoppers. She couldn’t wait to tell Ella about her date with Adrian, it was going to be bomb!
***

SEE YOU AT NIGHT. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE STORY?

CHAPTER SIX
***
Planning Mayowa’s birthday had been tough on her. But with the help of her personal assistant, it wasn’t as stressful as she had imagined it at first. Although her intention had been to throw her daughter a small birthday, the interest of the king and queen, now turned it into a grand affair. She had just finished with the chief staff of the Lagos Broadcasting Network, LBN, she needed them to send someone over to cover the show. Her personal assistant was handling the refreshments and the decorations, while she handled the celebrant’s dress. In all these, her husband’s contribution was zero. Bose was always full of regret whenever she remembered how she had dumped a good man for Olulade; he was no match for Ife. Now she was living in a toxic marriage, one that had gone very cold. As she scribbled some notes on the jotter before her, notes that were instructions to the other servants in the palace, she couldn’t help but wonder how long she would continue this way. The thought of spending more years with Olulade terrified her. She tossed the pen on the metallic desk in their bedroom, and stepped aside.
Her eyes glowed with fresh pools of tears, tears that she cried secretly after realizing that she had made a mistake. She sniffed and wiped her face. Coincidentally, the door to the room flew wide open and Olulade walked in with an angry look on his face. He was searching for something. The crown prince stumbled on his wife crying, but instead of approaching her, or offering his comforting hands, he moved towards the drawer where he kept his check books.
“Olulade…” Bose quickly wiped her face and rose. She had enough of his nonchalant attitude towards their daughter and marriage. He had to make a decision about her.
He pretended not to hear her.
“Why are you so useless to us?” Bose scoffed.
Bose had a nagging attitude, and he wasn’t about to fight with her this morning. The prince had grown tired of having the same woman in his bed. Currently, he was in a liaison with three other women, also princesses. And he didn’t feel or show any remorse towards his behavior.
“Watch the way you talk to me bitch.” He replied.
“What?” Bose closed the distance between them.
“You are the bitch. You are a weak and useless man. You are the worst husband in the world, and an absent father. Today is Mayowa’s birthday, yet you pretend like you don’t know. What is your problem with me? If you are tired of this marriage, you should open up!” She couldn’t control her irritation anymore.
Olulade bit his lip and eyed her bitterly.
“You have the right to talk to me because I thought there was something special about you, and that’s why I married you. I married you to spite Ife, not knowing that you are damaged goods. I have nothing to say to you. And you don’t have a right to judge me about Mayowa. I know that today is her birthday, and I am trying to get her a gift. I would’ve involved myself, but you think too highly of yourself, so I let you do it all alone. If you are tired of this marriage, you better walk away.”
His words cut right through her like a sword. He had only taken her just to spite Ife. Bose was unsettled. Her pride had been shredded to invisible pieces. She felt lost, and ashamed. She had believed every word that Olulade had professed to her.
“Well, I don’t blame you either. You may be the crown prince, but you will never be half the man that Ife is. You are a useless first son. You live on your father’s wealth. You have no idea on how to create, you only exploit other people.” Since he had shamed her, it was her turn to put the prince back in his place. Albeit she had spoken the words as revenge, she had no idea how inferior Olulade felt to his brother. He disliked anyone that preferred Ife to him, and that was the reason he wasn’t close to Kari and Teni. Only Princess Lola understood him perfectly, and they both disliked Ife.
“What did you say?” Blood pumped in his veins rapidly as he stared at the woman.
“You will never be half the man that Ife is.” Bose stood her ground.
Olulade couldn’t control the rage she inspired with her thoughtless words. His eyes found an empty perfume bottle which was fully made of glass. He grabbed the object and launched it directly at her face. The glass narrowly escaped her eyes, but it broke on her cheeks, before shattering on the ground. Pieces of the glass stuck in her face, blood trickled down, but he didn’t show her mercy. He ignored her cries of pain, and grabbed her neck. His long fingers curled round the veins and arteries that supported her, and stared deeply into her eyes.
“If you ever speak to me that way, I will kill you in your sleep.” He pushed her to the ground, and walked away guiltlessly. Bose was too hurt to wail or to call for help. Her body was limp by the attack launched on her. She only cried, and drew in the scent of her own blood as it dripped endlessly on the ground. This wasn’t the first time that Olulade was hitting her; she had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the last. But there was nothing that she could do, if she left him, her family would be disappointed in her. They had supported her marriage to the prince, with the hope of being direct relatives to the future king. Her eyes were open to his beastly nature, but she couldn’t leave.
“I am trapped.” She whispered, then broke into sobs.
****
There were several Biller establishments across the country and the continent. In Nigeria, the headquarters was situated at Lagos; in other African countries, it was established at the capital cities. One of the finest establishments of Biller was located in Johannesburg. It was a sight to behold. The signature design of the buildings was the transparent glass that constituted the body of the buildings. The Biller Logo had a vulture scavenging for food in a lush cornfield. One of the controversies surrounding the logo was the depiction of vultures in a green land.
As the taxi came to a halt, Ife paused and stared at the gigantic glass house that he had personally designed. A small smile danced at the corner of his mouth as he stared at the logo, which was placed at the middle of the roof. Ife didn’t see the vulture as an evil bird, like most people perceived it. Some devious bloggers had tried to tarnish his image, by claiming that the prince was part of an occult group, hence his use of vultures which were seen as strange birds. Ife didn’t share in that belief; yes, the vultures were mysterious but not evil. The vulture represented Africa- bird that once had so many feathers and plenty to eat, but now on a mission of global begging. Just as vulture was a scavenger, so was Africa. He intended to rewrite the story by employing as many people as he could, creating more streams of service, breaking into international soil and reducing the incidence of poverty. That was how he understood the logo, and he didn’t care about those that intentionally misconstrued it.
Once he walked past the first gate, which was open to customer who had complaints about their apps, he was met with greetings from the dozens of security men which kept watch over the glass castle, day and night. He acknowledged their greetings with nods, and sometimes word of mouth until he passed the second gate and moved towards the entrance door. The door was automated to open by itself, but if it detected any dangerous weapon, it could keep you outside for some minutes. Though it was computerized, there were two security men to guide those that encountered difficulties using the door. Ife greeted the men and walked past it. Just like other headquarters’ buildings, this one had three floors, and he stayed at the top; he loved to watch the view of the streets from a specific angle and vantage point. With the use of an elevator, he was able to reach his office just in time, before his visitors drove into the building, one after the other.
Ife found Hawa at her station; a smaller office directly opposite his. He had created the offices in such a way that contacting the next person was made easy as they were made of glass, except for his. He usually rang Hawa if he needed something immediately.
“Good morning sir.” She left her seat and walked up to him with his coffee in her hand.
“Good morning, thank you.” He accepted the mug of warm caffeine.
“Have you seen any of my sisters yet?” The prince sipped briefly. Kari and Teni played important roles in the growth of his business, and he trusted them wholeheartedly.
“I have only set eyes on Princess Kari.” Hawa replied.
“I’ll meet with them after my meetings.” He instructed.
The Prince was about entering his office, when the first visitor arrived. The lanky chocolate skinned man seemed had been very enthusiastic to meet with the youngest billionaire in Africa. Mr. Victor, the chief executive officer and creator of the Uyai Yoghurts brand had showed up; this was the first time he would be meeting with Ife.
“Your majesty…” Victor bowed slightly.
“Good morning sir,” Ife tried to be professional. He felt uncomfortable about the way Victor had addressed him. He preferred to keep his royalty aside when he was dealing with business. Although Victor had sensed the discomfort, he ignored the prince and continued.
“It is a pleasure to meet with you.” He grinned.
“Same here, can we move to my office please?” Ife gestured with his hands, while the man followed behind. Victor had always dreamt of his level of success, but he had not yet found the exposure to expose his brand. He intended to his yoghurt to become a household name. He planned to work very closely with the prince. Once he made it big, he was certain that his ex wife would come back to him. It was his conviction that he and Ime were meant to be together forever, and there was no escaping him.
He had come to Lagos for two reasons; he intended to meet up with the prince, and he also hoped to find Ime. Though he had no idea where she lived, he had some boys that could help him out.
“What would you like to have?” Ife had a cellar of assorted wines. He loved to make his guests very comfortable before the business discussion began in fullness. The office was tailored to suit his position as boss. He had a double AC, golden blinds which were imported from Dubai, glowing furniture made from the finest acacia, and a gold plated television set.
Victor wished they could go straight to the point, but he didn’t want to offend the prince by turning him down.
“I’ll have a glass of non alcoholic wine, please.”
“Great.” Ife moved to his refrigerator where he preserved the wine glasses. He fetched two, and a bottle of Wilavega wine. He poured the grape juice generously into the glasses, and served one to his visitor.
“Thank you my prince,” Victor smiled. He was very relaxed around Ife; he was beginning to like him already.
“I first heard about you while watching your interview with Mo Abdu. That was a long time ago, but the way you articulated your points concerning the importance of entrepreneurship gained my admiration. The next I heard of you was when some of my buyers began to talk about a certain application that could help them shop for anything online; it was the Nigerian version of Amazon.
“Yes, having a universal marketplace had always been my dream.” Ife was impressed that the man knew so much about his humble beginning. It showed that Victor was an ardent follower.
“Call me Ife please,” Ife didn’t want their conversation to be too formal.
“I will call you that. Call me Victor.”
“Okay.”
The men continued to savor the sweet wine, while chattering about their individual experiences in the business world. Victor was particular about his brand, and he hoped to take things to the next level.
“How do you want to achieve that? How do I come in?” Ife emptied his glass and leaned back on the swivel chair, which faced Victor directly.
“First, you will need to taste my yoghurt.” Victor produced a tiny bottle from his pocket and placed it on the table. Ife wasn’t a fan of yoghurts, but he had to taste it. He leaned forward and broke the seal that protected the bottle. It was the scent of vanilla that hit him first. As the thick and milkfish frothy yoghurt touched the tip of his tongue, he knew why Victor was eager to nationalize his brand. It was worth it. Ife couldn’t stop at the first sip; he continued drinking until the bottle was empty.
Victor saw his chance to advertise, “Uyai Yoghurt is made from purely natural ingredients. Unlike other products, this yoghurt is a mixture of tiger nuts, almond milk, oat milk and yoghurt. For now, we have just the vanilla flavor, but we are hoping to create more flavors. I just want my product to be well known, and you can help me do that if we come up with a contract.”
Ife could still feel the unusual sweetness and sourness on his tongue. The thickness of the yoghurt filled his belly with pure satisfaction. He secretly wished that he could have another bottle.
“So you want Biller to accept your brand at our market place, and help promote it?”
“Exactly!”
Ife liked the idea, “We will pay for the promotion of the product, but for every order, we keep 40%. Remember that Biller is going to pay heavily to promote your product; we have to recover profit by 10%. But if you are not cool with that agreement, you can take our advertisement options, and promote your business.”
Victor had made up his mind before the meeting. He had already explored the advertisement options that Biller provided. One thing had been made clear. Business owners that advertised themselves had lower sales compared to the business owners that incorporated their business directly with Biller.
“20%” He attempted to negotiate.
“When I advertise your product, you will sell twice as much as you have been selling. I stand on 40%.”
“I need to pay my workers and produce more, I go with 25%.”
“I know, and that’s why I’ll take 40%.”
“30%,” Victor pressed on.
“35%,” The prince replied.

From the tone of Ife’s response, the other businessman knew that he wouldn’t go beyond that.
“I accept your offer.” Victor stretched forth his hand to finalize the deal.
“Same here.” Ife smiled and took the man’s hand.
When their hands fell apart, they celebrated the new business relationship with another round of wine.
“We will have another meeting. I’ll get my lawyers to draw up a contract for you. Please do well to come with your lawyers.” Ife advised.
“Very well then, I must be on my way. I have other matters to attend to.” Victor pulled back the chair and rose to his feet. He quickly struck out the meeting with the prince off his mental list, now he needed to find a way to contact Ime because there was no way he would let her go. The prince escorted the man to the door and waved him goodbye, feeling happy that his brand was about to have another expansion.
He returned to the table and emptied the contents of his wineglass into his mouth. He had one more meeting, and the day was over. He was about fetching his telephone to dial Hawa, when the door fell open and an angry looking Teni walked in.
“What happened to knocking? I could’ve been in a meeting.” He shrugged.
“I asked Hawa, she said you were alone.” Princess Teni fumed.
“Why are you angry?” Ife narrowed his dark eyes on his sister.
Teni sighed and pulled back a chair. When she had settled, she told her brother of her latest discovery. The princess had not left for work early because one of her children was ill. She had been conversing with a nanny when she heard shouts from Olulade’s quarters. She had moved towards their window and found them quarreling.
“Do you know he hit her? He hit her face with a glass bottle!” Teni offered vivid explanation about what she had experienced.
“What?” Ife scoffed. He knew his brother was a spoilt jerk ass. He knew Olulade treated women as objects, but never in his life could he believe that he would hit Bose.
“Did you tell mum?” Ife asked.
“No, I just didn’t want trouble.” Teni replied.
“Did you check on Bose?” He gritted his teeth, wishing he could teach his older brother a lesson.
“No!” Teni shook her head. She couldn’t have done that because it would make it obvious that she had been spying on them.
Ife leaned towards the cellar and fetched himself a bottle of strong spirit. He was disgusted with his brother’s attitude, only wine could restrain him while he thought of the best way to solve this problem.
“What do we do? I know Bose hurt you by marrying Olulade, but I don’t want her to suffer at his hands.” Princess Teni replied. They both knew how ruthless the crown prince was, when he was determined to do something evil, no one could stop him.
After gulping a glass, he felt stronger. His head felt clearer, and he could think better in this state.
“I don’t hate Bose for what she did. I don’t hold anything against her, but we have to stop him. No woman deserves to be at the mercy of a brutal man.”
“Do you know today is Mayowa’s birthday? I just hope Bose is not seriously injured.” Teni clicked her tongue, wishing she hadn’t witnessed that horrible episode. When Ife heard this, he winced. He had almost forgotten about the birthday. A wave of guilt spiraled around him as he recalled Bose’s request for him to spend time with her daughter. He had declined because he was busy, plus, he didn’t want to be too close to his brother’s wife. He hoped the little girl had no idea of her father’s beastly nature.
“I have to confront him.” Ife chewed his lower lip. What Teni had failed to explain to her brother was that the quarrel between Bose and Olulade had intensified when Bose had praised Ife before her husband. They both knew that Olulade disliked his only brother, because Ife was the only one that could stand up to him.
“I think we should stay out of it…” Teni felt like she had been running her mouth. She regretted sharing her discovery as she didn’t want any trouble in the palace. But Ife wasn’t having it. He believed that women should be loved and respected, and men should learn to keep their hands off women.
“I won’t.” He replied boldly.
“You’re going to cause more trouble. I say we leave them to sort out their problems; after all it was Bose that dumped you for him. Stay out of it. I just felt like talking to someone.” She felt better after sharing with her brother. Ife moved away from the table, towards the window. He leaned against it and pulled in a fresh wave of breeze that passed by. He was still contemplating on the next step to take when he caught sight of some black cars driving into the establishment. When the first man stepped down, he was quickly reminded of his meeting with Mr. Seyi Groves from the Olive Groves bank. Ife had met the bank owner for a few times to discuss business, only that Seyi didn’t state his purpose for calling another meeting today.
He sighed and rushed to the fridge to get some cold water. The alcohol he had taken was starting to dull his senses.
“I have to prepare for another meeting. I’ll be back home. We’ll talk more about this.”
Teni nodded, “Do you think I should tell Kari?” She didn’t like keeping secrets from her older sister. They were a team, she, Ife and Kari.
“You should. See you later.” He dismissed her, in preparation for his meeting. When his sister left, his visitors arrived just in time to meet the door open, thanks to the elevator. The first person to walk in had a familiar face; it took him seconds to study it. He quickly recognized the lady he had seen at the lodge, Ime’s friend. His heart skipped, he had not expected to see her.
As Ella’s heels clicked on the marble floor, she could tell that the prince was shocked to see her. Excitement coursed through her spine as she stared at the handsome man. This was the first time she was walking into the Biller establishment with her boss, Mr. Seyi Groves. It had not been the man’s intention to take her for the meeting, but the banker that was to come in her place had called in sick, so he had no choice but to pick one of the brightest females to replace her. Ella couldn’t wait to tell Ime all about this. She stole a glance at her golden wristwatch; in three hours time, she would pick Ime up for the therapy session with Doctor Lola.
“Good morning prince…sir,” she quickly corrected herself. Ife’s face paled when he heard the first address. She knew!
He swallowed and ignored, “Good morning, you are welcome to Biller.” He gestured towards an array of chairs which sufficed for business meetings where his partners numbered more than two. As the other guests walked in, they settled on the seats provided. The last person to enter was Mr. Seyi Groves.
“Good morning my noble prince,” Mr. Seyi couldn’t hide his title. This made Ife feel very comfortable, knowing that his secret would no longer be safe.
“You’re welcome Mr. Seyi. What can I offer you?” He asked politely.
The grey haired man smiled and loosened some buttons on his suit. He cross his leg and ran his eyes over the well lavished office. They had eaten before coming for the meeting, which was going to be very brief.
“Thank you for your hospitality, but I will not waste your time.” Mr. Seyi moved straight to the point. When Ife realized that this man wasn’t here to beat around the bush, he moved towards his seat and faced them.
“Give him the papers Ella,” Seyi snapped his fingers.
Ella leaned forward and presented a file. Ife quickly opened the pages, and began to run through the documents presented to him. After going through the business proposal, Ife didn’t know what to do. He tightened his grip around the file and stared at the faces in the room. The other party maintained the silence, hoping that the prince would consider their request.
“I think our proposal is a decent one. It would work for both parties, don’t you think?” Seyi Groves asked.
Ife raised the file in the air, still unable to speak. He dumped it on the table and rose to his feet. The business proposal from Seyi Groves would benefit Biller in many ways; he was proposing a partnership which would yield plenty benefits. The land around the palace which the True Bank of Nigeria had showed interest was the same land that Seyi Groves was asking to buy. If Ife found a way to convince the King to sell the land to them, the Olive Groves bank would ask Ife to design a special banking app under the Biller brand for Olive Groves. While Biller would get 70% from profits made, Olive Groves was willing to take 30%. Also, Biller would be given a ten year contract to make advertisements for the bank, and they would gain 50% from what the advertisements would yield. Ife could smell a good deal when he saw one, and this was a good deal.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you were interested in the land earlier? The True Bank of Nigeria has the support of the King, my father. I fear that it is too late to convince him not to sell.” Ife replied.
Seyi Groves knew quite alright that buying a land which was situated at vantage point would be difficult, but now that other banks were starting to show interest, he was willing to pay heavily for the land. He had been afraid of being turned down by the King, who had been an ex business man before mounting the throne.
“That doesn’t matter. You must find a way to convince your father to sell to us. You can forget about this, if they have offered you a business proposal. But we have worked together for years; I have had your back. All I need is your loyalty.” Seyi wished the prince would try to convince the king.
Ife was confused. His father was yet to reach an agreement with the True Bank of Nigeria. He was yet to discuss with the villagers whose lands had been chosen as favorable locations for the branches that were to be established. His father wasn’t a hard hearted man, but he would need to be convinced beyond all reasonable doubt that selling the land to Olive Groves was a better idea. The True Bank of Nigeria was the first bank to have been established, and it had federal government backing. Surely, the King wouldn’t want to upset the federal government.
“Let me think about this.” He picked the file once more.
“How long do we wait for your response?” Seyi asked.
“A week and a half, if I cannot convince the King about it, you have to find land somewhere else.” Ife replied.
The bank owner agreed, so did his partners. Now that it was clear that the meeting was over, they all rose to their feet and shook hands with the prince.
“I’ll call you.” Seyi waved a finger at the prince.
“I hope the king agrees to it.” Ife waved the file in his face. Both men shook it each other and the rest began to walk out, one after the other. Ella was about to leave, when Ife called her back. He couldn’t risk anyone knowing about his heritage at the lodge, not even Ime.
“Please don’t say a word about this to Ime or anyone at the lodge.” He begged.
A devious smile brightened her face, “Why are you ashamed of telling people who you really are?” She was reminded of the soup vendor’s story. No doubt, the prince was a humble and generous man, but she couldn’t get why he was desperate to hide his identity. Ife didn’t answer her.
“Are you trying to play Robin Hood?” She eyed him suspiciously.
“I am not trying to play anything. The lodge is the only place that I can be myself. I am not fascinated with royal life. I just want everyone outside the palace to see me as an ordinary person. That’s not too much to ask. Don’t reveal anything to Ime.”
Ella couldn’t promise that, “What if she already knows?”
“I know she doesn’t.” Ife hoped so.
“Do you like my friend?” Ella blurted out.
“I don’t hate her.” He found her too direct.
“You know what I mean, are you attracted to her?” Ella searched his eyes. She was asking for the interest of her friend. Ife’s dimples flashed when he smiled. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so attracted to a woman, the way he was to Ime. The funny thing was that he had just met her.
“Will that make you keep this secret?” He asked. Ella nodded.
“I like her. She is very pretty and smart. We are having a date tonight.” He smiled.
Ella wasn’t too comfortable that her friend hadn’t told her about the date.
“Oh?” She masked her astonishment.
“Well, I won’t tell her that you are Prince Ife Adrian Ige, the youngest African billionaire. But she would find out one day. What would you do then?” Ella felt upset that Ime had kept the date from her; she marched out of the office, before Ife could think of an answer.
Just after she left, the two princesses joined their brother at the office.
“That girl looks hot! Is that your girlfriend?” Princess Teni had noticed Ella.
“She completes you.” Princess Kari joined.
Ife ruffled his hair with his fingers.
“No she isn’t the one.” He quickly corrected.
“Oh there is a one?” They teased.
Ife ignored their annoying giggles. He knew that Teni had told Kari about the fight at the palace, they had come to talk about it.

I am hooked.

Following

Hi Good morning. Sorry for the long wait.

CHAPTER SEVEN

As Ella strolled out of the office, she found it difficult to focus on the load of files that awaited her at the office. She wondered why Ime was so quick to trust this man, even without knowing that he was keeping a secret from her. She almost regretted encouraging her to date, even with in her fragile state of mind. The only thing that offered her a little relaxation was the session they had with the therapist later in the day. She just wanted to see Ime in a better place, Ella equally hoped that the prince was not a bad person.
She had just joined the others in the elevator when her phone buzzed within her bag. At first, she had wanted to ignore it due to privacy concerns. But she decided against it. What if it was serious? What if Ime had discovered that Adrian was the prince and she’d wanted to ask her about it? Quickly, her fingers fumbled with the gold plaited zip until she found her way through the thick leather bag to her phone. The eagerness faded away when she saw the caller identity. Her younger sister, Ifunanya was calling. Ella pressed her lips together, and rolled her eyes. These actions were physical expressions of her inner confusion. Should she take the call? Should she ignore her?
One of the beautiful things about her friendship with Ime was how natural and loving their bond was. Ime was more of a sister to her than Ifunanya could ever be. Her younger sister was the most self centered and self absorbed person that she had ever met. Ifunanya was lazy too, and she lacked ambition. She preferred pitching her tent with people who had plenty to offer her, but once they outlived their usefulness in her life, she would spill their dirty secrets and move on. Back when they were children, Ifunanya was the bully. Many kids were afraid of her tall frame, and her attitude towards people never changed. It only got worse. Currently, she was trying her best to make peace with her older sister, but Ella was skeptical about bringing Ifunanya back into her life after their last altercation.
Ella could guess what her jobless sibling was looking for. She always wondered why a graduate of theatre arts would refuse to market her skills and make some money from it. Ifunanya wasn’t passionate about her career, she only cared about her instagram and the many followers she had, who fawned over her latest clothing collection and make up. Ifunanya was probably broke, or recently dumped by one of her numerous rich boyfriends. Ella cringed as she clicked on the answer key. The following conversation ensued:
IFUNANYA: Hello sister mine…how have you been?
ELLA: What do you want Ifunanya? You really have the nerve to call me after withdrawing fifty thousand naira with my ATM card without permission.
IFUNANYA: I’ll pay you back, I promise. You don’t have to sound so angry with your sister.
ELLA: Okay, so why have you called?
IFUNANYA: I…I am in Lagos currently. I came to visit a friend. I am not comfortable at this hotel and I would love to spend a few weeks at your place.
ELLA: You must be joking, right?
IFUNANYA: No, I am not. Does it sound funny to you?
ELLA: Yes, very funny. You have quite a short and dull memory for someone with your class of beauty. Do you remember your last words before you left with my stolen money?
IFUNANYA: Come on sis…I am not perfect like you. I made some mistakes, but I promise that I have changed. I need your help. There’s this business I am working on and it is really profitable. I just need a place to stay for two weeks tops.
ELLA: I am sorry girl. You said my house and everything within it is beneath you. You should try one of your friends around here. Have a nice day sis.
IFUNANYA: No, you cannot turn me away. Wait!
Swiftly Ella turned off the phone and tossed it into her bag. Her heart danced wildly to the beat of the rage that started within her. Flames of indignation burned within. She scoffed. How could Ifunanya have such courage to call her? Unlike her sister, Ella worked hard for every penny. But Ifunanya preferred the easy way out. She was blessed with a complexion that could make her pass for a biracial woman. Her golden brown eyes held a seductive glare about them. Her hourglass figure would give Kim Kardashian a run for her money. All these rested on a pair of straight and long legs. Men were easily drawn to her kind of beauty, and she exploited them as much as she could.
Though she felt guilty for the way she cut the call on her sister, because Ifunanya really sounded stranded. Ella vowed not to fall for her manipulation this time. She was a big girl, and for that reason, she could handle herself.
“Ella…” Mr. Seyi drawled her name as they stepped out of the elevator.
“Sir…” She increased her steps towards him.
“Once we return to the bank, gather all the files and receipts of our business with Biller. I want to prove to the prince that we have been loyal to his brand. If he helps us get that land, it will only improve our working relationship.”
Ella agreed with all the man said. She couldn’t wait for the day to end. Perhaps she needed a session with the therapist too!
***
The sting of her sister’s words hurt her. Ella was softhearted person, so she had expected better treatment. As she tossed the phone on the bed, she shuddered at the thought of losing one more person which she had firmly at her grip. Ifunanya knew that she was manipulative, but she wasn’t sorry about the way she was. God made her that way, and she sued it as a tool to exploit emotionally weak people. She wasn’t stranded as she had implied, the truth was that she missed her sister and wanted to see her again. Ifunanya felt bad as she remembered their last fight; she had treated Ella poorly, so she didn’t really blame her for this behavior. The only person that could help her talk to Ella was Ime.
“That reminds me…” She bit her lip. She and Ime had never liked each other. Ifunanya believed that Ime had stolen her sister’s heart away from her, that explained why Ella could sacrifice everything for Ime instead of her. Her jealousy of Ime increased when she had landed one of the biggest entrepreneurs in town, her ex husband. So when she had heard about the divorce, happiness at Ime’s downfall came naturally. Ifunanya knew that she needed Ime’s help to get close to her sister; she was willing to swallow her pride and speak to her.
Just as she was about to fetch her phone, the man with which she had a liaison with stepped out of the bathroom in a bathrobe and marched towards her. She always met her clients at premium establishments like this one. The Ruby, was one of the biggest hotels in Lagos, and only a very rich client could afford to pay for lodging. She had just been introduced to her latest client from a friend who served as a love-vendor for their online call girl business. She didn’t know his name as she had just met him, but the scent of wealth was all over him, plus he had the looks too. It was her rule not to be too close to her clients, so as not to have emotional attachment to any of them, this was the reason they had not had a decent conversation after their first round of steaming sex.
“You were arguing with someone. Is everything alright?” The man asked.
He found her prettier than all the girls he had ever taken to bed. The prince had decided to go on an adventure after quarrelling with his wife. Women were the only distraction he needed to forget a problem.
“Um…yes,” Ifunanya forced a smile.
She leaned over to the table next to the bed and fetched her purse. She picked out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Whenever she was stressed, this was her therapy. Unashamedly, she lit the cigarette and pulled in some smoke. The man hovered over her like a hawk, his dark eyes glowed as he watched her keenly. He loved women with her ruthless spirit, she was just the kind of woman he needed right now in his life.
“I don’t believe you. Tell me.” He sat next to her.
She grew more uncomfortable with his persistence. Gently, she allowed the smoke to spiral from her nose while thinking of how to tell him to mind his business.
“It’s not important.” She grinned.
At this point, Olulade could tell that she was deliberately pushing him out and he could understand. He had been with many call girls to know their mode of operation; less communication and interaction made it more professional. But he was tired of meaningless flings; he wanted one that could stand the test of time, until he figured out how best to deal with Bose for disrespecting him. Now that he pondered on what he had done to her face, he was regretful. Already, his younger brother had the king’s favor. Hitting his wife would make him seem more irresponsible. He needed to tread more carefully. The only person he could share his burden with was Lola that was the only sibling that hated Ife as much as he did.
“I understand why you’re blocking me out, but I don’t feel comfortable. I paid for your service, but it doesn’t mean that you are less than a human being. You can talk to me. I want to be friends with you.”
Ifunanya chuckled, “Really? I don’t want to be friends with you. I don’t want to talk to you. We came here to have beautiful sex, to Bleep each other’s brains out. What’s this about having conversation?” She rolled her eyes, apparently getting irritated by his clingy attitude.
He sighed and rose towards his wallet which he had dropped at the dresser. He pulled out a picture of his family and returned to her.
“Here’s is my beautiful family. There are many things that go on in royal homes that the public may never understand. I do not know you or your name. But I am drawn to you. If you can make me a happy man, I would make you a wealthy woman. All I need is your loyalty.” He dropped the picture on her lap and moved towards the wardrobe to change his clothes. He would give her time to think about him, and drop his number, so she could call him with the right answer.
At first, she had wanted to ignore the picture. But when she stared at it, the surprised startled her fingers so much that the cigarette stick fell to the ground. The prince was dressed in his full glory, and he stood next to his father who sat on the throne. Beside him were his wife and daughter. They were surrounded by the other members of the palace. In the picture, she noticed a strikingly attractive man at the other side of the throne. She could swear that he was the most handsome man she had ever seen…and he seemed unmarried.
“Who is this?” She quenched the cigarette with her feet while rising.
Olulade noticed her finger was on his brother.
“My younger brother, Ife Adrian Ige.”
“So you are the heir to the throne?” She swallowed and watched him.
The expression on her face was innocent, and perfectly alluring to an egomaniac like him. He loved to the subject of worship, and Ifunanya was slowly bending to his will. She was desperate to know more about him, this is the place he wanted her to be.
“Yes I am.”
“Think about my proposal.” He mumbled while working on his buttons. When he was finished, he fetched a card from his wallet and dropped it on the table.
“Call me.” The prince gestured with his hands before strolling out, leaving her staring in shock and wonder. It felt like a dream. Never in her life had she come across a man of such grand standing. Her body rippled with anxiety and excitement. Ifunanya did not know how to react or what to think. Gently she returned to the bed and continued to stare at the picture; her eyes were focused on Ife the whole time. What if God was leading her to the second prince through the first? But being with Olulade seemed best since he was the heir of the throne, and by tradition could be allowed to marry more wives.
“I need to speak to Ella by all means.” She tossed the picture on the bed and fetched her phone. Since her sister would not speak to her, she would go through Ime. Hurriedly, she sent a message to Ime apologizing for her past behavior and hoping Ime could speak to Ella for her.
Ten seconds later, Ime responded that she would be glad to help, but not failing to mention that she had now moved to Lagos. This excited Ella more. She sent another text: Can we meet to talk about my sister?

***

The clock was ticking; her eyes darted from one end of her office to another. She had to prepare for her niece’s birthday, but the last client she had for the day was yet to show up. Princess Lola had not wanted to leave, because the person who had booked an appointment had sounded very desperate, and she hated to let people down. She would wait for fifteen minutes, and if there was no sign of Ella or her friend, she would leave for the party. Apart from loving her children, she adored Mayowa greatly. Olulade was her favorite sibling, like him, she was pompous and filled with arrogance towards her other siblings. If Kari or Teni’s child had been the one celebrating, she wouldn’t have been too bothered. This sibling rivalry ran deep, though their parents had noticed it, they couldn’t do much to change the situation. Lola felt she should give a call to Bose, to ask how preparations for the party were ongoing, but she changed her mind. She would speak with Olulade first. She fetched her phone and dialed his number. Coincidentally, Olulade had wanted to call his sister and tell her what had transpired between himself and Bose. So without any form of hesitation, he’d taken the call.
“Hello my future king,” she started her salute.
Olulade couldn’t control his laughter.
“Oh please, our dad would live for many years!” He teased.
“How are you? I called to ask about Mayowa’s party.” Lola returned. There was silence at the other end as he was confused on where to start. He was still enraged about Bose’s attitude towards him. How dare she compare him to Ife?
“I hit Bose today.” He announced, not to earn her praise but to set the pace for the conversation which would be about Ife.
“What? Why would you do something like that?” Lola rose to her feet.
She bit her lip and asked, “Did she hit you first? Why would you even do something like that?”
He sighed, “She told me that I would never be half the man that Ife is. Can you imagine that? She belittled me because of that fool. I am starting to believe that she may have feelings for him.”
When Lola took in his explanation, she relaxed. Bose deserved what she had gotten. How could she compare her beloved brother to that vermin?
“Then you don’t have a problem. I would speak to her when I return. If she says a word to anyone in the palace about it, she would be in trouble with me. Don’t just worry your sweet head about Bose, I can handle her.” Lola calmed his fears. If the king heard about the occurrence, he would be mad and disappointed at his first son. But Lola knew how to take care of her brother’s mess, because he had taken care of hers when she had snuck out of the palace to meet with one of her lovers. She had an unplanned pregnancy from that affair, but her brother had arranged a doctor and she had an abortion. If her other siblings had known, they would’ve judged her, but Olulade showed her loyalty. That single action had strengthened the bond that they shared.
“I encouraged you to marry her, I brought her into this palace and I can take her out. It seems that she has forgotten where she is!” Lola was embittered by the comparison, just as Olulade.
“We will talk about it when you return; I am almost at the palace.” The prince replied.
“Good. Just wear a smile on your face and pretend like everything is okay.” She advised, before ending the connection. She gritted her teeth and stared at the clock, ten more minutes was left from the time she had set aside for waiting. Calmly, she returned to the chair like the majesty that she was. Ife had stolen the love and admiration of their parents, they needed to join forces and fight their greatest fear: him taking the throne from Olulade. Although the position was hereditary, specifically for the first male child, there were instances that the King could choose whom to give his throne too.
Lola drummed her fingers on the glass table and sighed, “I will do everything to keep that throne for my Olulade. I have to teach Bose a lesson.”

***
Luckily for Ime she had found her way around town and had been able to shop for household essentials. Now she was a proud of owner of a gas cylinder, a refrigerator, some cooking utensils and new sets of bed covers. She didn’t need a television for now, because she was still avoiding things that would trigger the pain she desperately tried to mask. Victor had broken her spirit and made her feel like a worthless person. As she stared at bright and warm colored bed covers, she hoped that her life could have such radiance again. She was prepared to meet with the therapist, but Ella was yet to show up.
A soft smile spread across her face as she remembered her conversation with Ifunanya, Ella’s troublesome sister. She and Ifunanya had never seen eye to eye. Ime wondered what was so urgent that caused Ifunanya to contact her after so many years. She couldn’t wait to meet with Ifunanya later in the week. Something else excited her about the day; Adrian had asked her to meet with him at the canteen. She was yet to tell Ella about it, but she could swear that her friend would be very excited for her. Ten minutes after, a knock sounded on her door. Ime sighed with relief and moved towards it; she didn’t need a soothsayer to tell her that her friend had come to take her to see the therapist. When she pulled back the door, she noticed an angry look in Ella’s face. At first, she had assumed it was stress. Bank jobs were extremely stressful, and what made things worse was that some bosses could be so ungrateful. A closer look at Ella’s face revealed that her anger wasn’t from work. Something else had happened.
“What is it?” Ime asked directly. She had been friends with Ella, long enough to know when something wasn’t right. Ella was still infuriated by her sister’s call. Ifunanya had the nerves to call her, without any show of true remorse.
“We’ll talk about it later. Can we go now?” Ella eyed the room. She noticed that Ime had gotten new things for her house that made her feel happy. This was a sign that she was gradually adjusting to her new life. Ella decided to keep the prince out of the conversation, she didn’t want Ime to feel any sadness or anxiety, as that could affect the session with Dr. Lola. Once they were finished, she would think of the best time to bring the topic up.
On the other hand, Ime struggled to keep her promise to Ifunanya whom she had invited over. She knew how Ella disliked her sister’s arrogance; it would be surprising to her, if she realized that she was meeting up with Ifunanya. Ime decided to keep her meeting a secret. Once Ifunanya revealed her intentions, she would then be free to share them with Ella. She was already dressed for the session, so she only reached out for her bag which was on the floor.
“Good to go.” Ime announced gleefully, fighting down every anxiety that welled up within her. As they stepped out of te house and ascended the stairs, Ime quickly recalled that she had not told her friend about Adrian’s date. This was the best time, as she hated keeping things from Ella.
“Guess what?” She began with a smile.
Ella’s features softened, her anger faded as she stared at Ime. It was only her best friend that could help her feel better. She wished she didn’t have to face Ifunanya again. But deep down, she had a feeling that her sister would do anything to locate her in Lagos.
“What?” Ella prepared her ears.
Ime explained that she and Adrian had bumped into each other, and they had a date later in the evening. Ella had already known this, but she pretended to hear it for the first time. Her heart raced as she thought of Prince Ife. He was yet to tell Ime about his royalty. Ime was still fragile, after her abusive marriage to Victor, finding out about the prince could hurt her deeply. Ella was not comfortable about their date, but Ime was eager for it, so she couldn’t say out her mind.
“That would be fine. I hope you have a nice time too.” Ella smiled.
“I hope he is fun.” Ime wondered what the handsome Adrian would be like in a casual setting.
They waved down a taxi and got in. Ella gave the driver directions to the office. After what seemed like forever to the two ladies, the taxi was able to meander its way through the congested city of Lagos, stopping in front of a white building with gleaming black gate. They walked past the gate gingerly, luckily for them the security were polite and willing to guide them to the office of Dr. Lola. When they reached the second floor of the high building, they were taken to the secretary’s office; it was the job of the secretary to confirm appointments. When she had confirmed Ime’s session from her computer, she put a call through to the doctor who made it clear that she was ready to meet with them. With the new direction they’d gotten, Ella and Ime moved to the second room at the right. Boldly written on the door was her name.
“Are you ready for this?” Ella whispered to Ime.
Ime could see all her panic attacks, anxiety and fear leaving her. She believed strongly that all her problems would be solved, and she would come out a different woman.
“Let’s do this,” she affirmed with a nod. Ella was satisfied by her response. She really wanted Ime to regain her confidence and pride, those things that Victor had stolen from her. Together, they walked into the doctor’s office, after knocking twice and receiving permission.
The princess was fatigued from multiple sessions throughout the day, but she was ready to see her latest client. She slipped on her glasses and stared at the ladies that had just walked in, she wondered who had booked an appointment and who would be her patient. Ella could read the doctor’s thoughts across her face.
“Good evening doctor, it was I that booked for the session. My friend needs your help. Please do all that you can for her.” Ella started a conversation.
Lola’s gaze softened as she stared at Ime. She was drawn to her aura, Lola was equally curious as to what could trouble such a pretty lady.
“You’re both welcome. What would you like to have?” Lola moved towards her fridge, trying to set a more relaxed atmosphere.
Ella wasn’t in the mood for refreshment, she just wanted all attention to be on her friend.
“I am fine. I’d like to wait outside.” She pointed at the door.
The princess accepted with a nod.
“What about you?” She turned to her patient.
Ime flashed a smile, “I am good, thank you.” She gestured with a shrug.
Lola equally shrugged, “I guess we are all set for the session then.” She watched as Ella tiptoed out of the office. It made her wonder the nature of relationship the two women had, as Ella seemed to be very interested in the affairs of the other woman. She was curious, but not enough to question. Her job was to help Ime navigate her mind for a balanced mental health, she would respect her restrictions.
“So let’s begin with this…” Lola found a fresh sheet on her paper and a pencil. She loved to take important notes on the observations drawn from her patients’ physical behavior and attitudes towards questions.
“I am Dr. Lola, what is your name?” She leaned back on her swivel chair and stared at Ime.
As one who was well versed in the subject of mental health, she perceived Ime to be an easygoing person; though appearance wasn’t the best judgment of character, she could sense it. Women like Ime whose smile could brighten other people’s days were easy targets for narcissistic personalities. Toxic people tended to draw from the spring of positive people like Ime, draining them of their natural happiness to feel better about themselves. She couldn’t wait to hear Ime’s story.
“Ime…Victor…sorry Ime.” She stuttered.
“Take a deep breath and relax. I am here for you. Please be honest with me. Being truthful about your feelings is the fastest way to heal.” The princess carefully explained. As instructed, Ime’s nostrils dilated to take in some air to calm her nerves. She took her mind off the session and focused on the woman’s office. The walls were painted with calming light blue which reminded her of the clouds, a symbol of hope. The doctor had many pictures and calendars on her wall, but nothing interested her. Ime felt her mind was a little faster than how she’d wanted it, when she noticed a slight resemblance between the doctor and Adrian.
“Who is Victor?” Lola sensed that she avoided the name.
Ime froze. The mention of his name sent sparks of anxiety through her. How could a man whose name had signified love suddenly change into a beastly one? She pushed the fear aside, and sought for help. Ella was right to bring her here. If she didn’t deal with her past, it would erode her of present happiness, and she didn’t want to live a life filled with mistakes and escapist techniques. She wanted to face her fears head-on. Ime yearned to live to the fullest, love anew and provide value to the earth.
“He was my ex husband.” She replied flatly.

Lola was pleased by her openness; sometimes it took more probing for patients to open up.
“I can tell that you don’t particularly cherish his name, but that’s okay. If we do not fear certain names or things, our humanity would be questioned. I am scared when a snake is mentioned.” She chipped in these words on a lighter note, Ime couldn’t help but laugh. But she got the message the woman sent to her. It was okay to be afraid of Victor’s name, she was reacting perfectly as a human being would.
“What makes you fear him? Tell me about your relationship…” Lola tossed the pencil on the table and leaned back. Ime had a lot of stories to tell. She needed to focus.
Ime breathed deeply and searched the depth of her reasoning. Deep down were many memories that she had hidden. She needed to release them from her mind by sharing them with this mind expert.
“He had come into my life as an angel. I thought he was the best thing to happen to me, and I was the luckiest woman in the world. I was wrong. After the marriage, he tried to control me. He wanted me to resign…when I refused, the beatings began.” Tears welled up in her eyes as past events flooded her mind. Ime could hear herself screaming. She could feel his punches and kicks. She could see her blood splashing on the marble floor. She could feel her head throbbing.
“Why are you afraid of him?” Lola didn’t flinch, she watched intently.
Ime wiped her face, “I fear that he would kill me one day. I try to liberate myself from these memories, but I have a feeling that it isn’t over with him.”
“So you feel you can bump into him anytime?” Lola leaned forward and began to take notes. Ime was suffering from paranoia, this was common among people that had been exposed to abuse and stress. Sometimes, their instincts about their ex was right, but other times the individuals had moved on. Paranoia was a serious problem, and it could stir up thoughts creating panic anxiety.
Though she felt ashamed to admit it, she told Lola the truth. She always felt Victor watching her from a distance, waiting for the right time to strike.
“Have you told anyone else about this?” The doctor asked.
“I would sound like a creep if I said that. But I feel trapped. I fear him. I don’t know what to do.” She confessed.
Lola’s eyes rested on the clock. This was enough for one day.
“I’ll give you an assignment. Write ten good things you remember about Victor. When next we meet, we would go through the list.”
Ime nodded calmly, wondering why the doctor would give her such a weird assignment. But she would find out soon. She had more things to share, but it seemed the woman was in a hurry. Ime enjoyed the session, and couldn’t wait for another time. She felt better.
“Thank you for your time.” Ime slowly rose.
“Don’t mention. Take good care of yourself and focus on the best parts of your ex husband.” Lola replied. For the first time in a long while, she felt a connection to a patient. She would devote her time to helping Ime. As she walked out of the doctor’s office, she felt relieved. Finally, she had found someone else who understood what it was like to walk in Victor’s shadow. Ime felt relieved as she marched towards her friend who was seated at the visitor’s space waiting for her. She had a feeling that Doctor Lola would help her overcome her fears about Victor.
“Let’s go.” Ime whispered cheerfully, even Ella could sense a change in her friend.
Ella quickly dropped her phone in her bag and rose to her feet.
“How did it go?” She asked concernedly, hoping the doctor was able to help her friend.
Ime nodded with a smile, “I can’t wait for the next session. Although the assignment she gave to me was tricky, I don’t mind. I would consider anything just to find healing. Can we go now?”
“Sure we can.” Ella affirmed with a nod. While Ime had been in the session, she had made a transfer to the hospital account. She was glad that her friend was getting the help that she needed. But something else bothered her. She was tempted to tell Ime about the prince. Ella changed her mind. She would keep out of it until Ime found out herself.
“So what’s the assignment about?” Ella asked after waving down a taxi. When they settled in, Ime turned to answer her.
“Writing out ten things that I loved about Victor, can you imagine that?” She clapped her hands and chuckled.
“Really? Are you sure you can do that?” Ella joined in laughing. She had always been uncomfortable around her best friend’s ex husband. Victor could deceive many people with his charming smiles, but Ella could not be bought. That was the reason he had disliked her and preferred her sister, Ifunanya.
Ime shrugged, “I have to let him out of my mind. I would do whatever it takes to get rid of Victor, once and for all.” Albeit she was determined to make this happen, she had no idea that her ex husband was already in town and he was finding a way to track her. Just as he had promised, he was not going to let her go.
***

After her meeting with Prince Olulade, Ifunanya had decided to have a drink at the lounge of the hotel. Mnay things ran through her mind; the offer of the Prince was first amongst them. This was a golden opportunity, one that she had never had. If she played her cards well, she could become his second wife as the traditional family in Africa allowed for polygamy. If she got in smoothly, she would play around his heart and have him eating from her fingers. But there was a problem. If Olulade was a good man, why would he need another woman to make himself happy when he had such a beautiful wife? As she sat there pondering, Ifunanya decided to carry out more research on the royal family before giving the prince his answer.
“I need to be fully aware of what I am getting into.” She murmured and fiddled her bag for her phone. She had lots of connections in the call girl business. But there was one person that was exposed to classified information pertaining to men from the crème de la crème strata. Swiftly, she dialed Ronke’s number. Ronke Smith was the leading love-vendor in Lagos. Though Ifunanya didn’t work directly with her, they shared mutual friends and enjoyed a cordial relationship.
Ronke picked at first ring. The brown skinned beauty was surprised that Ifunanya had called her.
“Hello Ify, how you dey naw?” She settled for pidgin.
“Ronke Ronke! It’s been so long. I dey fyn o. You?” Ifunanya followed suit. She briefly mentioned to the other woman that she was in Lagos on official business, a language they both understood. She was confused about something and she needed help.
“That’s good. The business is moving then?” Ronke returned, wondering when Ifunanya would state the purpose of her visit.
Ifunanya pulled in a deep breath, “There’s a man that is deeply interested in me. I need information on his family, everything that you can find. Please, I need it within two days.”
Ronke was silent. First, who was this man and why was Ifunanya so interested in knowing more about him when she could’ve confronted him herself? There was something missing. Ifunanya was a smart girl, and Ronke suspected that the man in question was a wealthy man. Perhaps she could strike a deal from this.
“What’s his name?” She asked calmly. Names had weight in the business they partook; the greater the name, the weightier the pocket. She couldn’t wait to hear it.
Ijeoma sighed, “Prince Olulade Ige. I want everything on the royal family, including his wife.”
Ronke’s eyes glowed as she heard the name; Ifunanya had found favor in the eyes of the prince!
“The king of Lagos?” She needed to be sure.
“Yes, please get me in-depth information.” Ifunanya insisted.
“What’s my cut?” Ronke asked. Digging information about the royal family wasn’t going to be easy considering the fact that they were very secretive. She would need money to bribe her way to access quality information.
Ifunanya had not seen this coming, but she quickly understood that this was business. Ronke deserved a fair share in whatever she would earn provided her information was real.
“Once I accept his offer, I’ll pay you a million.” She replied.
“That’s too small.” Ronke scoffed.
“How much do you want?” Ifunanya rolled her eyes.
“Five million. The prince is a wealthy man and he would spend more than that on you.” Ronke returned.
“Fine, just make sure that you get me the truth. You’ll get your money once I accept his offer.” Ifunanya replied.
She broke the connection after accepting Ronke’s financial request. She was about dropping her phone on the table when she noticed a tall man walking towards her direction. It was Victor, Ime’s ex husband. He was marching confidently towards her table.
“Hello Ify,” Victor’s dimples showed as he smiled.
“Mr. Victor! What are you doing here?” She was surprised to see him.
“I came for a business meeting. This is where I lodge.” He answered.
“Me too…” Ifunanya chipped in.
“That’s great. Can we have a drink?” He asked.
“Yes we can.”

This story is banging, authoress! I love the plot; a Prince and a commoner falling in love is the stuff of beautiful fairytales. Secondly, the way you're connecting the characters is brilliant. You, authoress, are brilliant. Keep it up!!

BlackRainDrops:
This story is banging, authoress! I love the plot; a Prince and a commoner falling in love is the stuff of beautiful fairytales. Secondly, the way you're connecting the characters is brilliant. You, authoress, are brilliant. Keep it up!!

This means so much. Thank you

Hope they will finish this story. I go too vex if this story nor finish